Of Ligers and Organoids
by CGAdamW4
Summary: Bit's vacation after the Royal Cup has led to a creature of legend out for his blood, and a con man after the Liger- and this isn't even the beginning.
1. Opening moves

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Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Zoids or any of the characters therein, unfortunately. I'm not making any money off this, it's just for fun. We now bring you our regularly scheduled programming, the feature presentation… _Of Ligers and Organoids_. 

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(30 days to battle #1…)

"So, explain this to me again?" Bit scratched his head, staring at a large grid taped up on a wall of the Blitz team's base living room. 

Jamie sighed. "It's real simple, Bit. There's only twenty-four S Class teams, including us." He pointed to a line of names along the left edge of the grid. "Each team in Class S is required to fight in at least one battle a month. If we don't, we forfeit whoever we were scheduled to fight."

Bit frowned. "That's not a lot of battles for the highest class of Zoid warriors in the world. One a month? I'll get so rusty I'll lose to Harry Champ!"

Jamie sighed again. Bit was an excellent fighter, but sometimes he seemed a little dense. "We're only _required_ to fight one a month. We're _allowed_ to fight as many as we want."

"So we aren't required to fight all the teams until _two_ _years_ after we've joined?" Bit asked incredulously. 

Jamie nodded. "Yup. And after four years, while all the other teams are competing in the Royal Cup, we get to fight a huge battle royale." 

Bit brightened. "This I remember. All twenty-four teams packed onto a thirty mile battlefield, no holds or tactics barred, and the winner not only gets a huge pile of prize money, but also moves up three ranks." He shook his head again. "They make it so complex. First you fight your way up through half a dozen ranks to reach Class S, then they divide the highest class into as many ranks as there are teams!"

"But all we have to do to move up here is beat the team above us," Jamie reminded him. "Our first bout is against the #23 team, then #22, and so on."

"And how long before that happens?"

Jamie shrugged. "There's a month bye-time between the Royal Cup and our first S Class battle."

"Will Brad's Shadowfox be repaired by then?" Bit asked. He was, of course, referring to the fact that the black Zoid had both its legs from one side sheared off by the Berserk Fury.

Jamie nodded. "Should be. The repair shop said it'll be finished in about three weeks on all three of the Zoids." He grinned at Bit. "Of course, it'd go faster if _you _were doing the repairs, Bit."

Cloud shook his head no, also grinning. "Uh-uh. Liger and I are going on vacation, and we're not coming back until our first battle."

"You'll need to be earlier than that," Jamie cautioned. "Remember the party?"

Bit nodded. "It'd be hard to forget. It's all the Doc's talked about since the Cup." Ever since the Blitz Team had won the Royal Cup, Doctor Toros had been planning to hold a huge party. All the other members of the S Class teams had been invited, and all had accepted. The event was intended to give the Blitz Team a chance to size up the others- and the other way around, too. 

"Anyway," Bit went on, "We'll be leaving later shortly with the basic Zero form. I mainly just wanted to make sure I understood this, so I was sure of the date of our first battle."

"So I just reviewed all that for nothing?!"

* * *

_(One day to battle #1…)_

"Any word from Bit yet?" Leena asked, walking into the Toros Base living room. Jamie was tapping on a laptop, Brad was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, and the doc was off making last minute preparations for the party that was planned to start in a few hours. 

Jamie shook his head at Leena's question. "No. Still nothing." He motioned to the computer he was working on. "I've checked my e-mail, contacted other teams, even checked with the Zoid Battle Commission. Nobody's seen him since he left the base."

Leena growled. "Where is he?! Tonight's the party! If he's ditched us, I'm gonna kill him!"

"Never thought you'd miss Bit," Brad said, his eyes still closed. 

"I DON'T!!!!" Leena yelled, an inch from Brad's face. "But half the teams coming to the party want to see him more than anyone else! If he doesn't show, it'll look like we're scared or something."

"Or that we're just not willing to play our best card yet," Doctor Toros said absentmindedly, walking into the room. 

"Best card my butt," Leena growled. "More like Joker card."

"Doc," Jamie asked hesitantly, as if he didn't really want an answer, "what if Bit's gone AWOL?"

"Or if he just got sick of Leena stealing his food?" Brad asked, a faint smile on his face.

"HE'S the one stealing MY food!!!" Leena shrieked.

"Either way, we'll just have to greet our guests and make the best of it." The Doc said easily. Abruptly, he clapped his hands. "Now, there's not much time left, so we'd better get changed for the party."

A few hours later, the Zoid hanger of the Toros' base was filled with all of the other Class S fighters as the party began. People were moving amongst each other, talking, laughing, and helping themselves to the refreshments. Mostly.

Jamie tugged uneasily at the collar of his tuxedo as he moved next to Brad and Leena. "These guys… do they all seem… tough to you?"

Leena shook her head. "Not really." She looked around the room while smoothing out the fabric of her dress. "Actually, they seem like pushovers."

Brad smirked a little. "Why's that?"

The Gunsniper pilot shrugged. "When most pilots from different teams are in the same room, no matter what the reason, there's a very obvious sense of competition between them. These guys don't have that." She looked around. "There's no fighting spirit in here."

Brad shook his head. "Jamie's got a better read on them than you. There's no pilots in the world with more competitive blood in them than the teams in Class S."

"Coulda fooled me," Leena muttered.

"They did," Brad said, smiling his faint smile. 

"Brad! Brad Hunter! Is that actually you?"

Their attention turned to a young man who was walking their direction with two other people. One was a girl of about eighteen with fire-orange hair and blue eyes; the other was a man around the same age, with dark hair and hard, ice blue eyes. The speaker himself had greenish hair and brown eyes. 

"I thought that was you!" He offered Brad his hand, a huge grin on his face. 

Brad accepted it with a cool nod. "Marcus. I hoped to run into you tonight. How've you been since we parted ways?"

"Not too bad," Marcus said. "Spent some time wandering around, and ended up forming my own team." He motioned to the two standing on either side of him. "My comrades, Cassius," he motioned to the man, "and the more lovely Satori. The three of us make up the Anlashock team."

"A pleasure," Brad said. "My two teammates, Jamie and Leena."

Marcus nodded, still smiling. "I've heard of you two, of course. Everyone knows the newest members to our humble little class." He gave Brad a piercing look. "I thought you had another member, though? Or is the mysterious Bit Cloud just a phantom?"

"He's away right now," Jamie said, not wanting the fact that Bit was missing to become public. "He should be back soon, though."

"Good," Cassius said. His voice was rather cold. "I wanted to meet this mystery warrior who propelled a little known team into the elite society."

"What was that?" Leena snarled, fists clenched tightly. 

"Pay no mind to him," Satori said, give her friend an easy shove. "Cassius likes getting a rise out of people; it's his hobby."

"Anyway, we'll have to pick this up later," Marcus interrupted. "The leader of the Krieger team is over there. We're scheduled for a battle next week; I'd like to see if I can get a read on him." He headed for the other team, followed by his own team. "We'll talk later, Brad."

As they headed out of earshot, Jamie asked, "How do you know him, Brad?"

Brad shrugged. "For a while, we fought together: a pair of mercenaries. But when we came to the Blitz team, I was willing to fight for your price and he wasn't. So we went our separate ways."

"Any idea how he got into Class S?"

"Not much," Brad admitted. "I only knew he did. But since it's illegal for a mercenary to fight for an S ranked team, that can't be it…"

"Maybe he bought his way in," Leena grumbled. "I don't think I trust the guy. And I _definitely_ don't trust that Cassius friend of his."

Brad shook his head. "I only know Marcus, and he was always a good guy. If he says they're okay, I suppose they are." 

Jamie shrugged. "We'll just have to trust you on that. In the meantime, I think we need to talk some of the other guests a little more. We _are_ the hosts, after all." He motioned to a few people on the other side of the room. "Let's go see them. I think that's our first team to fight." 

As they drew closer, Leena got a good look at the group. Three girls, all with long, dark hair and fierce green eyes were standing near the buffet table, each looking around the room with identical expressions of boredom on their faces. With a start, Leena realized it wasn't just their _expressions _that were identical… 

She blinked. "Sisters? _Twins_?"

"You're off by one," Brad said. "Triplets."

Jamie nodded. "They call themselves the Stygian Sisters, and they make up the Hellfire team. They're definitely our first battle tomorrow."

No sooner had he said that then all three of the sisters turned as one and headed for them, their step synchronized and determined.

"Brace yourself, Leena," Brad murmured. 

She looked at him. "Huh?"

"Leena Toros!"

Leena turned and found herself facing all three of the girls at once, as if they were staring in each other down in a shootout. They were all glaring at her with an unusually strong expression of loathing in their identical eyes. 

Doing her best not to appear intimidated, Leena replied in an unimpressed tone, "What do you want?"

"Merely to introduce ourselves," the sister in the middle said, her voice frosty. "I am Chellryn. My sisters, Morgan," she motioned to her left, then to her right, "and Jadis." 

"A pleasure," Leena said, just barely masking her sarcasm. "What can I do for you?"

"We simply wanted to give you a warning," Morgan said. "Do not dare attack us."

"Kind of hard to do, since we're fighting you tomorrow," Brad said, his voice calm.

Jadis looked at him like he was a roach. "We weren't addressing _you_. Leena Toros is the only one that we wish to speak to."

"Tough," Jamie said, glaring at them, his voice unusually strong. "We're her teammates, and as far as I'm concerned, you three are just a bunch of rich kids that got lucky."

__

Now the sisters looked angry. All three looked like they wanted to attack the Blitz team right there, party or not. 

Chellryn kept her focus on Leena. She leaned very close and hissed, "I suggest you watch yourself. We don't go easy on those who chose to ignore our warnings."

Leena pulled back, waving a hand in front of her face, looking very unconcerned. "Get away from me. Your breath smells like the onion dip."

The only thing the prevented a fistfight was the Doc standing on a small stage in the center of the hangar and tapping his glass into a microphone. "Ladies, gentleman, and all warriors assembled," he said cheerfully, "Welcome! As founder of the Blitz Team, I wish to thank you all for attending my humble little party."

The Stygian sisters glared at the team for a moment longer, then walked away. Leena let out her breath once the were out of earshot. "What's with them?"

"They're always like that," Brad said, talking over Doctor Toros' speech to the other warriors. "From what I've heard, they were the first all female team into S Class, and they're very jealous of that fact. They've tried to intimidate all the other female warriors in this class for as long as they've been here."

"_I've _heard they shouldn't even be here," Jamie said, still looking and sounding very angry. "They're a lot like Harry- rich kids who got into Zoid combat just for the thrill of it."

"Yeah, but Harry's still in B rank," Leena pointed out. 

"That's what I mean," Jamie said. "They got into the Royal Cup the same way he did- wild card slot. Then, they showed up the finish line very quickly- and they only defeated one other team." He glared at their backs. "A lot of people suspect they hacked into a Judge to get the finish line coordinates, as well as rigging the selection, but no one's been able to prove it."

"That would explain why they're ranked twenty-third," Leena mused. She looked at Jamie, smiling slightly. "You got pretty angry at them."

Jamie nodded. "I hate cheaters. They're worse than the Backdraft. At least _they_ acknowledge they cheat."

Brad shrugged. "Doesn't matter. Come on. We've got a lot more guests to talk to once the Doc's through."

The party was a definite success. The Stygian Sisters kept to themselves the rest of the night, but everyone else was perfectly sociable. The guests all ended up hanging around until well after midnight, and all seemed slightly disappointed when they left.

There were two possible reasons why. First, they actually had been enjoying themselves. Secondly, and perhaps equally likely, they had been holding out hope that they mysterious pilot of the famous Liger Zero would make an appearance.

He disappointed them all. Bit Cloud did not return to the Toros Base that night.

* * *

(_Eight hours to battle #1…)_

Leena sat up suddenly in bed, not knowing what had woken her. She glanced at the glowing clock across the room. _Four a.m.?_ Leena thought. _This is waaaaaay too early to be awake._ In the distance, there was a roll of thunder. _At least now I know what woke me up._

Abruptly, her stomach growled. 

_You have got to be kidding, _was her first thought. Her second was, _Maybe there's a few advantages to Bit not be around. _She grinned. _There should still be a few leftovers from the party in the fridge…_

The rest of the base was dark as Leena made her way to the kitchen. It wasn't until she'd grabbed a snack and was heading back to her room that she saw several dim lights from the hangar. _Who's up at this hour…?_

Leena debated whether or not just to go back to bed with her snack, but finally decided to go into the hangar. What she saw surprised her. 

The other three members were all standing in the door, still dressed in their pajamas, as she was. (The Doc's teddy bear clashed with his nightshirt and cap.) All three were staring out the hangar door, staring at the mountains. 

"Hey," Leena said, walking up and munching on her food. "What's going on?"

Brad pointed to the mountains. "Look out there."

Leena looked out in the direction he was pointing, then shrugged. "What? Expecting Bit to come riding in over the horizon?"

"No," Brad said impatiently. "Just wait."

She peered out into the dark landscape, not seeing anything. Abruptly, several bright flashes lit up along the horizon, followed by the noise Leena had thought was thunder. Now… "What _is _that?"

"I think…" Jamie said, his voice hesitant, "at least part of that is a shock cannon."

"Double barreled, by the sound of it," the Doc added. He clutched his teddy bear a little harder.

Leena's eyes widened. "Bit?"

"Very possible," Toros said. He looked at Jamie. "How fast can you get the Raynos set to go?"

"A few seconds," Jamie answered. 

"Do it," he ordered. 

"I'm going too," Brad said. He headed for the Shadowfox. "The Fox should be fast enough to get there before whatever's going on ends."

"You're sure not leaving me behind!" Leena yelled. She ran for her own Zoid, dropping her snack to the hangar floor. 

"I'll monitor you from the Hovercargo's bridge!" The Doc headed as fast as he could for the carrier.

The Raynos was the first Zoid out, as it was the fastest. The Shadowfox followed quickly, and the heavily loaded Gunsniper plodded out last. 

~ I'm going to full speed, ~ Jamie said over the comms. ~ I can get there faster than either of you. ~ With that, the Raynos' engines kicked in and the Zoid burned away into the dark.

~ You may as well go back, Leena, ~ Brad said. ~ Your Zoid just isn't fast enough to get there in time. ~ 

"Don't bet on it," Leena said with a grin. She flipped up a small silver cover on a console, revealing a red button. "I had some adjustments made when my Gunsniper was repaired." She pressed it, and suddenly two ion boosters, very similar to the Liger's, hurled the Zoid forward, pulling it equal to Brad's Shadowfox. "Nice, huh?"

She enjoyed several seconds of surprised silence before Brad finally responded. ~ Not bad. Now let's get there before we miss all the action. ~ 

Jamie, meanwhile, was getting to see all the action. He was circling a box canyon, looking down on the landscape. It showed up in bright greens and blacks as the Raynos' night vision captured everything going on below. There were two Zoids down there, that much was certain.

One appeared to be a Rev Raptor, its blades fully extended and flashing in the dim light. 

The other was unmistakably the Liger Zero… and it was not doing very well. In the narrow canyon, it seemed all it could do was to stay scarcely out of the reach of the Rev Raptor's two scythe-like blades.

That shocked the young Raynos pilot. Rev Raptors were lightweights- small guns, small blades, and minimal armor- even with just the Zero module, Bit should have been able to tear the Rev Raptor to scrap metal. Yet this one was fighting harder than the Berserk Fury had in the Royal Cup.

Jamie keyed his radio. "Bit! Bit do you hear me?!"

The radio crackled. ~ Jamie?! Jamie, is that you?! ~ 

"It's me, Bit!" The Rev Raptor made another slash, and again, the Liger just barely dodged the attack. "Who is that? Backdraft?!"

~ I wish! ~ Bit gave a sudden yelp as a third rush from the enemy Zoid forced the Liger to do a bizarre sideways roll, ending with its back to a cliff wall. ~ Hey, Jamie! Are you going to help me or WHAT?!?! ~ 

"Uh, right!" Jamie stopped circling the battlefield and went into a shallow dive, bringing his guns to bear on the Rev Raptor. "Got a lock!" He pressed the trigger.

The Raynos had a solid target lock on the Zoid, and the Rev Raptor had no warning that the Liger suddenly had an ally attacking from the rear. It seemed to Jamie that no one would be able to dodge the fire.

And yet, the only thing he hit was rocks and dirt. 

Jamie blinked in surprise. "Huh? Where did he go?"

~ Jamie! Behind you! ~ 

__

Somehow, the Rev Raptor had gotten behind him. It charged, blades aiming at the Raynos' now unprotected back.

"How did it get back there?! AH!" Jamie yanked back on the Raynos' controls, pulling his Zoid into a sharp climb, just barely dodging the Rev Raptor's cut. Out of range, he sputtered, "Who is that?! Nobody can pilot a Zoid like that!"

~ Worry about that later! Help me shoot this thing down! ~ Bit opened up with the Liger's shock cannon, Jamie following suit with the Raynos' gun. 

Nothing connected. Again, somehow, the Rev Raptor dodged the shots and rushed the Liger Zero. With its back to the canyon wall, there seemed to be nothing the Liger could do. 

Bit tried anyway. The Liger's ion boosters burned to life, hurling the two Zoids toward each other. 

Jamie frantically hit his radio. "Bit! What are you doing?!"

~ Testing out a new move! ~ The Liger and the Rev Raptor plowed toward each other, closing the distance to just a few meters in seconds. What seemed like a microsecond before the two collided, the Liger's front feet slid forward, _under_ the Rev Raptor's blades, tripping it. Its own momentum knocked the two-legged Zoid over the Liger, sending it sprawling onto the ground.

Jamie cheered. "Nice work, Bit!"

He could hear Bit breathing heavily. ~ I wish it were over. That thing is tough enough to take a _lot_ more damage than that little toss. ~ 

~ Good thing we're here, then! ~ Leena crowed. The Gunsniper and the Shadowfox appeared less than a mile away, and closing in fast. 

Brad's signal crackled. ~ This little guy gave the two of you so much trouble? ~ He snorted. ~ You're losing your edge, Bit. ~ 

~ This is _not_ your average Rev Raptor, ~ Bit warned. ~ Watch yourselves very closely! ~ 

Leena gave a derisive laugh as she pulled her Gunsniper to a stop a few feet away from the Liger. ~ Yeah, right. Just watch me take this pipsqueak out with one barrage. ~ She brought the massive firepower of her Zoid to bear on the smaller Rev Raptor. Inside the cockpit, her face turned to a huge grin. "Take _this_! My Gunsniper specialty: Weasel Unit Total Assault!"

~ Leena, NO! ~ Bit yelled. ~ You can't take that thing out alone! ~ 

~ Then I'll help! ~ Jamie shouted, bringing his Raynos into formation next to the other two.

~ Me too. ~ The Shadowfox took a stand right next to the Gunsniper.

They heard Bit take a breath. ~ I hope the works. ~ They fired.

With its back to the canyon wall, and with four enemies now in front of it, the Rev Raptor had no chance to even try and dodge. It staggered as hundreds of bullets from four powerful Zoids, complemented by dozens of missiles, tore through its frame. They only stop firing when the Rev Raptor collapsed to the grounds, its armor gone, its body virtually destroyed. 

Leena laughed wildly. "That was so easy! This guy gave you trouble?!"

Bit's face appeared on the monitor. He was still breathing heavily, and looked nervous. ~ I hope that did it. That thing could still be anywhere if we weren't fast enough. ~ 

Leena blinked. "Uh, Bit? You wanna try explaining that?"

He shook his head. ~ Not here, and not now. Let's get back to the base. At least there we can protect our Zoids. ~ Without another word, he ran for the hangar, pushing the Liger as hard as it could go. 

There was a long silence as the other three stared after him. Finally, Leena broke the silence. "Does anyone else think he's finally lost it?"

Brad's nod was clear even without visuals on. ~ Let's get back to the base before he does something really crazy. ~ 

Jamie frowned. "Have some faith in him, guys. Bit's always been a little odd, but no more than anyone else." He turned the Raynos back to the Toros base. "I say we go see what he has to say." 

The trip back seemed to take forever, even moving at top speed. Naturally, the Raynos was again the first back to the base, with the Shadowfox and Gunsniper showing up seconds later. As Leena and Brad hopped out of their Zoids, they saw Jamie standing and staring at the Liger Zero. 

It wasn't surprising. The Liger was laying down, looking for all the world like an oversized housecat. Bit was sitting on its front paw, actually petting the Liger's head. As they moved closer, they saw the Zoid was more damaged that had been visible in the dark. There were several gashes in the Liger's armor, and several burn marks from some kind of energy weapon. 

But perhaps the strangest thing of all was Bit. He was sitting on the Liger's front paw, petting its 'nose', while talking to it. "Easy, partner. We're finally back. You just rest up, and I'll take you to a repair shop as soon as I can."

A soft growl, almost a purr, escaped the Liger. Then, the immense Zoid fell silent. It almost seemed… asleep, for lack of a better word.

Bit stood up, yawning. He looked around the hangar. "Never thought the base could look so great." Grinning, he started towards the others. "Hey, guys. Thanks for bailing me out back there."

"No problem," Jamie said automatically. "Now, can you fill us in?"

Bit gave a small laugh. "What do want to know?"

"How about, oh, _EVERYTHING?!" _Leena yelled. "Where have you been the past month?! Why didn't you show up for the party?! And, oh yeah, what was going on with that Rev Raptor?!?!"

Bit grinned and scratched his head. "That's gonna take a while to explain."

"Then we'll all go inside and you can explain it," the Doc said, walking up. "I doubt we'll be getting more sleep for a while anyway."

"Yeah, tell us your story," Brad prompted.

"Okay, okay," Bit said. "Let's just go into the living room first. You'll want to be sitting for a lot of this."


	2. The creature of legend

Leena was getting seriously impatient. First, Bit had wanted to shower- he said he hadn't had one in days. That took a half hour. Now, he was rooting through the fridge, claiming he hadn't eaten anything good almost since he left. Finally, she yelled, "BIT! If you don't get out here _right now_, you're going to wish that Rev Raptor _had _killed you!"

Bit walked in, holding a plate of food. "Must've been a good party, this food looks great. Right, the story," he added, seeing the murderous expression on Leena's face. "Let's see… I guess it starts about a week after I left… I'd already spent some time a resort, and was having a great time. Then one day this guys shows up at my lounge chair…"

(_23 days to battle #1..)_

"Bit Cloud?"

Bit looked up from his book into the face of a rather short man in his late forties with cropped black hair, wearing a business suit. He looked out of place in a resort where virtually everyone was in a swimsuit. "Yes? What do you want?" 

The man stuck out his hand. "Allow me to introduce myself. Horatio Gilbert Alexander Damascus the Third, at your service."

Slightly overwhelmed, Bit took the offered hand. "Uh, glad to meet you Mr. Damas-"

"Just call me Horace. Everyone does." He had a somewhat shifty manner, and his voice held an irritating, rather grating quality.

"Okay, Horace." Bit looked at him evenly. "What can I do for you?"

"Would I be correct in assuming you're the same Bit Cloud who won the Royal Cup a few weeks back?" Horace asked, pulling out a chair and sitting down.

Bit nodded, still not trusting him. "Yes. Why?"

"Because, my dear boy," Horace said, throwing his arms open, like he was about hug Bit, "I sold the Zoid you use to your team!"

"The Liger Zero?" Bit asked incredulously.

"Yes! The magnificent Liger Zero! I sold it to your team leader, Doctor Turles!"

"Toros."

"Right, Toros! Silly of me to forget." He stopped talking and looked at Bit, an amused expression on his face. 

Bit waited, but he didn't say anything else. Finally, Bit prompted, "So… what can I do for you?"

Horace shrugged. "Nothing, really. I was just hoping to get a look at the pilot that mastered that untamable Zoid."

"You know, I think I remember something about you," Bit said suddenly. "I think… yeah, Leena said you were some kind of cheap dealer."

"Did the little dear call me that?," Horace said, easily brushing it aside. "I guess she wasn't feeling very forgiving.'"

"Fine," Bit said, getting irritated. "Now, either tell me what you want, or get lost. I'm on vacation."

"It's nothing much," Horace said with a shrug. "I just thought you might like to meet me. After all, I not only sold the Liger Zero, I'm the one who found it." He started walking away.

It took a few seconds for Bit to track on the statement. Then, he was up and running after the little man. "Hey! Hold it!"

Horace turned, a knowing smile on his face. "Yes?"

Bit slid to a stop, looking down on him. "Did you just say that you're the one who found the Liger Zero?!"

"Of course," Horace said. "It was a hunk of junk when I found it. Parts missing, damaged, or destroyed altogether. I patched it up, had new armor developed, and finally finished getting it repaired." He shook his head, remembering. "It was a pretty Zoid, I have to say. Pure white Liger, very rare indeed." Horace sighed. "I thought I would find a pilot and get to the top with it."

Bit grinned, knowing what was coming next. "But you couldn't get anyone to pilot it, could you? The Liger kicked out any pilot that even tried to step into the cockpit."

He nodded. "Got it in one. So, I cut my losses and sold it off to your boss." He shrugged, looking half amused, half annoyed. "Imagine my surprise when I saw that useless piece of junk fighting in the Royal Cup. And then it won! The irony of it just sickens me."

"So you decided to find out who piloted the Zoid that so many others couldn't," Bit said, grinning again. 

"Yep. And now that I've found you, I've got a little business deal for you. Want to hear it?" He grinned in an expecting way.

Bit shrugged. "Nope. Not interested." He headed back for his lounge chair.

Now it was Horace's turn to be shocked. He tore after Bit, waving his arms yelling, "WHAT?!? You don't even want to _hear _it?!?!"

The young warrior looked up, amused, as the short man skidded to a stop by his chair. "Why should I be interested in whatever you have to say? I'm on vacation. Contact me after I'm back on duty."

"But that'll take too long!" Horace whined. "This is really important!"

Bit yawned, trying to look unimpressed. "Okay. Go ahead. What's so urgent you track me down and interrupt my vacation?"

Horace smiled. He seemed to be getting back into his stride. "I've found a site, very similar to the one I found the Liger Zero. I'd like you and your Zoid to come along with me."

"Why?"

"Mainly to see if you can pilot whatever I find there," Horace said. "I'd like to have someone around that can handle a picky Zoid like the Liger."

Bit waved him off. "Nah, I don't wanna. I just want to relax before I have to get back into battle. Class S promises to be pretty tough."

"All the more reason you should come along," Horace encouraged. "I might find something you can use for Class S. Come on," he insisted. "it should only take a day or so."

Bit considered. "A day, huh?" 

"Two, three tops," Horace insisted. "I've got a high-speed ground transport with beds, food supplies, and everything. We can even take your Liger along with us, parked right next to my own Zoid, a green Command Wolf. I've got a nice trailer we can attach to my carrier. It'll take us a few hours to get there, then a day to examine the site, then a few hours to get back the day after tomorrow. You'll be back to your peaceful vacation before you know it."

An hour later, Bit, the Liger Zero, and the little man known as Horace were heading into more trouble than they could imagine.

* * *

(_20 days to battle #1…)_

Bit was confused and getting annoyed. So far, he and Horace had spent three days at the ruins, and the little man didn't seem to be doing much of anything. Granted, the ruins were fascinating. Bit had spent hours simply wandering through them, wondering about who had lived here, what they had done. The symbols on some of the ancient buildings were amazing, each one intricately carved in a way that must have taken days to achieve. There were even a few small buildings that might have been tombs of some kind; Bit really didn't have any clue. But he hadn't seen anything that faintly resembled so much as a Zoid component, and so far Horace had done nothing to search for any kind of useful items. All he did was sit in his carrier, running what he said were scans of the surrounding area. 

Finally, after what felt like his sixtieth trip looking around, Bit got sick of it. "That does it," he muttered, storming back to the carrier. "I'm out here, wasting my time in these ancient ruins while my vacation is slipping away. Well, we'll just see about this, _mister _Damascus." He reached the door of the carrier and opened it, then proceeded to the bridge. That door, however was locked. "Horace! Open up!"

There was no answer.

"I said open! I want to talk to you!"

A muffled rustle leaked through the door, then more silence. 

Bit growled, starting to feel very, very, angry. "Open this door right now or I swear I'll knock it down!!"

__

Still no answer.

"Okay, that's _it_!!" Putting all his strength behind it, Bit kicked the door as hard as he could. Not being made of much more than flimsy particle board on cheap hinges, the cockpit door caved in easily. 

Horace was seated in front of the same screen he had been since they'd arrived. As Bit crashed in, he dove forward on his computer, shielding its monitor from view. Bit, still fuming, didn't really take much notice. "Alright, I want to leave, and I mean right now!!!"

Horace flicked off the screen, then put on a calming smile as best he could. "Now why do you want to do that? Aren't you interested in these ruins?"

"For the first couple hours, yes. Now, however, it's well past time for us to leave. We've been here three days, and I haven't seen so much as a Zoid bolt!"

"One more hour," Horace pleaded. "I've actually found something! It could be important!" He switched on a different monitor, bringing up what seemed to be a schematic of one of the tomb-like structures Bit had noticed. "Most of these small chambers are empty. However, one of them-" he tapped the screen, "is sealed. It probably hasn't been opened for thousands of years! We can open it now, then leave immediately if you want to. I can always come back another time, with a different pilot."

"No," Bit said. "We're leaving, right now."

"Come on!" the little man pestered. "What's another hour or so? The structure is very small. We can just shine a light in, then leave as soon as we take a look. You never know," he pointed out, "we might find something in there. You'd hate to miss out on something special, just because you were too impatient to get back to your vacation."

Grudgingly, Bit considered. It didn't seem right for the trip be a total waste; if there was a chance of actually finding something… "Okay," he finally agreed. "But if we don't see anything, we're out of here."

"Done."

An hour later, they were still trying to break into the tomb. Bit was standing in front of the it, keeping a light focused on Horace as he tried to pry it open with a large bar. The little man had tried to get Bit to switch places with him, but it hadn't worked. Bit was in no mood to take any kind of orders from Horace. 

Finally, Bit's temper got the best of him again. "That's it," he grumbled. "Move away from the tomb, Horace. I'm going in my way." He turned and strode off toward the trailer housing his and Horace's Zoids. When he pressed a button, the sides folded down, exposing both the Liger Zero and Horace's green Command Wolf. He walked to his Zoid and shouted up, "How about it, buddy? Want to move a little?"

The Liger growled its assent. _Yes. Wait there. _The Zoid lowered its head, opening the cockpit for its pilot.

Bit couldn't help but grin as he heard the Liger's voice through its roars. No one else really knew the degree to which he and his Zoid could communicate. True, they had heard him speak to the Liger, but the conversations must have always sounded very one-sided. 

That wasn't the case at all. From the first time Bit had seen the Liger Zero, its voice was crystal clear in his head. He wasn't exactly certain why it was that no one else could understand the Liger, but he didn't really care. It worked for them, and that was all that mattered. He clambered into the cockpit, strapping in. "Okay, we're going to do something real gentle." He brought up the tomb on his view screen. "See that little building over there? I want you to open it up for me."

__

How? Claw or gun?

Bit shrugged. "Take your pick. I don't suppose it matters."

Liger considered. _Better off using the claw. The gun would blow it up too easy._ The Liger's claws glowed yellow as it prepared to cut open the tomb door. Horace, wisely, had obeyed Bit and moved well away from it. He was standing right by his carrier door. 

Abruptly, the Liger halted, the gold light fading. It let out an uneasy growl. _Bit… this is wrong..._

Bit started. "What? What's wrong, Liger?"

__

This building… it feels strange. Like something is waiting.

"Just go for it," Bit encouraged. "It's just an old tomb. Nothing in there can hurt you."

A second uneasy growl was his reply. _It better be. _The Liger's claws glowed again, and it carefully raised a paw. Then, in one quick motion, it cut down right through the tomb door. 

Bit grinned. "Nothing to it, right buddy?"

_Something still feels wrong…_

"It's probably nothing. Here, open the cockpit and I'll-" Bit never got finish his sentence. The Liger suddenly threw back its head and let out a deafening roar. It stared at the tomb fiercely, still roaring as loud as it could.

Bit could tell this wasn't a normal roar, not for any Zoid, and especially not for the Liger. It wasn't its victory roar, a challenge, or a simple communication growl. This was a full scale, all out, expression of strength- to hide the fear that was suddenly coursing through the Liger Zero. 

__

This was wrong! The tomb should have remained shut!

"What is it, Liger?! What's going on?!" Bit shouted, trying to regain control.

__

Something is coming! 

"_What's_ coming?!" Bit demanded, still fighting for control.

__

Evil! The enemy is here!!

Abruptly, a blinding light filled the tomb. It cut through the shadows around the tomb like a knife, and even seemed to dim the sunlight. In seconds, Bit had to shield his eyes or be blinded, and Horace had ducked inside his carrier. All the while, the Liger was still bellowing out its warning to whatever it thought was inside the tomb.

Then, just as quickly as it had appeared, the light faded. Bit blinked, rubbing his eyes. He switched on his comm. "Uh, Horace? Do you know what just happened?"

There was a long pause before Horace answered. ~ No idea. I didn't expect anything like that when we opened that thing. ~ 

Bit nodded, thinking. It took him a few more seconds before he realized the Liger had stopped roaring. It was now in a battle crouch, growling fiercely. "What is that's got you so spooked?"

__

The enemy is here. It is time to fight.

"Enemy?" Bit asked, puzzled. An image of the tomb appeared in front of Bit; apparently, whatever the Liger was referring to as 'enemy' was still inside it. 

Then, suddenly, it wasn't.

A small creature, no more than ten feet high, had stepped out of the tomb. It stood on two legs, had short, stubby arms, and vaguely resembled an animal several Zoids were based on- a tyrannosaurs rex. 

The main difference between this creature and an actual tyrannosaur was that this creature was metal. 

Its skin glistened in the sunlight, a burnished gold color. Its body was laced with black at its joints, and along its tail, while red eyes glowed in its head. It seemed slightly confused, looking around the ruins. 

Bit stared in awe. "Horace? Are you seeing this?"

Horace's voice came back a second later, holding the same awed tone. ~ Yes… I can't believe it… I thought they were all dead… _everyone_ thought they were all dead…~ 

"What? What is it?"

~ An Organoid. ~ 

"A what?"

~ Organic Zoid. There've only been a handful in recorded history, and none have been seen in…~ he paused. ~ Honestly, I don't know when. I just know they're considered myth by most people. ~ Bit could almost see the gleam in Horace's eyes. ~ Now aren't you glad we opened that tomb? ~ 

Bit suddenly became aware that the Liger seemed to have tensed, like it was going to strike. "Maybe not. Liger? Liger, what is it?!"  
The Liger didn't answer him. Instead, it let out its loudest roar of the day, warning the creature to stay back. 

Perhaps that was a mistake. For some reason, the tiny creature didn't seem to have noticed the Liger Zero until that exact moment. Now, its red eyes fixed on the white Zoid, and its expression suddenly seemed to change. Before it saw the Liger, it had seemed confused, disoriented. Now, it was staring at the Liger with an emotion that was impossible to take for anything else- pure hatred. 

The Organoid reared back and let out its own roar, surprisingly loud for such a tiny creature. Liger roared back, its voice shaking the very ground. Suddenly, with no prompting from Bit or warning at all, the Liger Zero launched itself forward, its claws flaring to gold. The Organoid barely managed to dodge the slash that turned the tomb into nothing but rubble. Hissing, it spun, facing the Liger. It let out a second defiant roar, then leapt straight onto the Liger's head- staring right into the cockpit.

For a split second, Bit's and the Organoid's eyes locked, and Bit could see something horrible in them. It seemed like there was intense rage and endless hatred, flowing straight from the very core of the Organoid's soul. Then, the smaller creature was hurled away as the Liger shook its head fiercely. 

That was the true beginning of their misfortune. The force of the Liger's throw ended up landing the Organoid right on top of Horace's Command Wolf. Abruptly, it rolled onto its feet and seemed to almost smile- and not very nicely. Then, it seemed to get to its knees and-

It took Bit a few seconds to realize what was happening. When he did, his jaw almost hit the cockpit floor. "Is that thing melting?!"

~ Not exactly, ~ Horace said suddenly. Bit had forgotten about him the sudden scuffle. ~ I think- I'm not certain, but I _think_- it's merging with my Command Wolf! ~ 

"Merging?! What does that mean?!"

~ It means the Organoid is about to fuse with my Zoid, to the point that it will be able to control it as if it were a human pilot! ~ 

__

NOOOO!!!!! The Liger's desperate roar ripped through the air, and it unloaded its shock cannon as fast as it possibly could. The Organoid either wasn't fully merged with the Zoid, or it just hadn't learned the controls yet, because it didn't move. The Liger's shots impacted on the Wolf's armor, kicking up a thick cloud of smoke. 

"Liger! Stop shooting!" Bit yelled. "Why are you fighting this thing?!"

__

It is an enemy! It wants to kill!

"How do you know that?!" Bit demanded incredulously.

__

It said so.

Bit didn't have time ask anything else. The Command Wolf suddenly burst from the smoke and halted several feet from the Liger. It stood there, snarling as if it were the real animal. For a few brief seconds, the two Zoids circled each other, growling and staring each other down. 

Bit heard the Liger's voice again. _This creature must be killed… do it together?_

A fierce grin entered Bit's face. "Always, partner." He hit his comm again, then took the controls. "Horace! What kind of weapons does your Zoid have?"

~ Not much… a few small guns on the side, and one modified laser weapon on the back. Oh, and The Ragnarok. ~ 

"Ragnarok?" Bit gulped. "I don't like the sound of that. What is it?"

~ It's a Command Wolf's strongest attack! It directs all the energy in the Zoid through one of its weapons! ~ He paused, then added thoughtfully, ~ Too bad it usually destroys the Zoid in the process. ~ 

"Great," Bit muttered. "This might be tricky."

~ Trickier than you think! ~ Horace yelled. ~ I've heard rumors that if an Organoid merges with a normal Zoid, it increases the combat powers! ~ 

"WHAT?!"

It took less than a second for Bit to see what Horace meant. The merged Command Wolf hurled itself towards the Liger, at least twice as fast as it should have been able to. Bit scarcely managed to dodge its rush, only to find that he was suddenly being attacked from the other side. This time, he wasn't so fortunate. The Command Wolf struck a glancing blow on the Liger's armor, sending sparks flying. However, the Liger's pulling back threw the Wolf off its balance, and it went sprawling.

"Too close," Bit gasped. Acting quickly, before the enemy could get back up, he keyed his radio. "Horace! Does that carrier of yours have any guns?!"

~ Uh… just one. A fifty millimeter cannon, but that's it. ~ 

"Use it! I need some cover fire!"

~ If I start shooting, that thing may come after me! ~ Horace wailed. 

"And if you don't _I'll _come after you!" Bit yelled. "FIRE!"

The high-speed carrier opened fire on the still-dazed Command Wolf, pelting it with bullets. For all the good they appeared to do, Horace may have just as well been using a pea shooter.

Still, it did get the merged Zoid's attention. It turned and growled at the carrier, aiming its side weapons at the gun. One shot roared out, and the cannon fell silent. Then, the Wolf seemed to grin. It moved its laser cannon to the carrier bridge, and it began to charge its shot. 

Horace panicked. ~ That's it, I am _GONE!! ~ _ The carrier whirled around, fired its engines to maximum, and in seconds was six miles away.

That's when the Command Wolf fired. 

Bit was starting to get a full understanding of what a merged Zoid could really do. The laser cannon on its back was a short range, low-power weapon. But it when it finally let loose its enhanced shot, it struck with the force of a cannon from a Judge satellite. The energy sheared the top of the carrier clean off, vaporizing it instantly. Only the distance between the shooter and its target prevented the carrier from being annihilated.

Horace would live another day- quite possibly at the expense of Bit's life. 

However, his cowardice gave Bit one chance: The Command Wolf, still focused on the retreating carrier, had exposed its entire right side to the Liger Zero.

Bit acted fast and took his shot. "Liger! Now, while that thing is still focused on the carrier: _Strike Laser Claw!!!_"

The Liger roared and surged forward, throwing power to its ion boosters, to its claws, preparing for the attack. Bit leaned forward, taking aim as best he could, and then suddenly, the Liger leapt and tore into its target, shredding the Wolf's back armor as it tore the laser weapon right off. The force of the leap carried the Liger over the green Zoid. The Command Wolf staggered, it main weapon lying of the ground next to it. 

But, it did not fall.

"Oh, come on!" Bit gaped. "That _had _to do it!"

__

The enemy is too strong to be taken by one blow. It must be struck again. Bit could almost feel the Liger's satisfaction. _But now, it is wounded and tactics revealed. Defeating it should be easy._

Bit grinned. "That's why I love ya, buddy. Let's get him!" The Liger bellowed out a roar, ordering the Wolf to its feet.

It did so- but badly. The Wolf was acting strangely. It was quivering as it shook, and was hunched in on itself. 

Bit peered at it. "What's it doing?"

The Liger, too, seemed puzzled, and then- _RUN! It is dying, but it means to take its foe with it!_

"What do you…." Bit trailed off as his eyes widened. "Self-destruct! Move, Liger, _MOVE!!!_" He shoved power to the ion boosters, putting as much distance as possible between himself and the dying Zoid. 

Seconds later, an orange fireball blossomed into the sky as the Command Wolf detonated.

Bit panted as he pulled the Liger to a stop. "Well… at least that Organoid thing went with it."

__

No. It is still alive.

"What?"

It took a few minutes for the Liger to explain what it meant. What it finally came down to was fairly simple, though. The Organoid had realized it was in a bad position after it lost its cannon. Its primary weapon was destroyed, and it was facing an enemy who had learned the way it fought, and had no damage to speak of. So, it took its best option available.

"Activating self-destruct, then separating from the Zoid," Bit murmured. "That gave us enough to time get away, but also caused us to lose it." He looked at the burning skeleton of the Command Wolf. "Will it be back?"

The Liger's answering growl had never been more definite- or more warning. _Yes._

"Okay, if that thing is going to be back for us, I don't wanna fight it with just your basic armor." He started tapping buttons, activating his comm system. "This is Bit Cloud to Doctor Toros. Do you read me, Doc?"

__

That will not work, the Liger growled. _The Toros base is too far to contact without a signal booster._

Bit frowned. "So we can't reach them?"

__

Correct.

Bit was silent for a few minutes, thinking. Then he asked, "Are there any towns are that might be able to help? Somewhere we could make a long distance vid-phone call?"

The Liger considered, then growled a response. _One small town, an hours' travel at full speed. It has a decent Zoid hangar that may be of some help._

"Which way is it?" 

The Liger turned in response. Bit grinned. "Okay, buddy, let's go. We'll show that Organoid he can't mess with the best and get away with it."

There could be no mistaking the courage and pride in the Liger's response. _No one ever has._

* * *

"Very interesting," Doctor Toros muttered. "The last sighting of an Organoid was years ago. Everyone thought they were extinct."

"I've heard that a lot lately," Bit grumbled. He picked at this nearly empty plate before adding, "I just hope the one that was after me and the Liger finally _is_ extinct."

"So that wasn't your last encounter with it?" Leena asked.

"Of course not," Jamie realized suddenly. He looked at Bit. "That's what we were fighting earlier, wasn't it?"

Bit nodded. "For some reason, as soon as it saw Liger, it was determined to destroy him."

Brad frowned. "Why did it want to do that?"

"From what the Liger told me, it's because he's got what's left of an Organoid inside him," Bit explained. "The same way I hear the Liger's voice, he heard the Organoid's. The creature considered it an atrocity that an Organoid became a permanent part of a regular Zoid, and swore to kill him." He sighed. "The rest is pretty basic. I headed for the town Liger suggested, loaded up on some really basic supplies," he grimaced, "and really disgusting food stuffs, then hauled butt here."

Jamie frowned. "Why didn't you _call_ us? The Hover Cargo could have reached you in a few days, faster, if you'd still been moving towards us. But you didn't even leave an e-mail to let us know what was going on!"

"I tried, believe me," Bit growled. "But something about the Organoid when it's merged messes with anything but short-range communication. Whether it's accidental or deliberate doesn't matter, we still can't call out for help if we get pinned down." He rubbed his face. "Something I found out when I fought it in the various forms it took."

Brad's curiosity got the better of him. "What did it use?"

Bit shrugged. "Several different Zoids after the Command Wolf. It tried a Guysak, Hellcat, and Pteras before it found one it liked, though. A Gojulas."

The reaction from the others was impressive. Both Leena and Doc's jaw hit the floor, Jamie fell off his seat, and Brad rubbed his eyes. 

Leena finally broke the silence. "Did you say you fought that Organoid when it was merged with a _Gojulas?!?_ Where did it get that?!"

"From the police station," Bit said grimly. "It just walked in, merged with the Zoid, and then walked out."

"And then it came after you," Brad concluded.

Bit nodded. "Wasn't an easy fight, either." 

"I can only imagine," the Doc said, still sounding shocked. "A Gojulas would be tough enough for the Liger, but with just the Zero armor, no support, and the Organoid enhancing the Gojulas combat abilities, it must have been nearly impossible to defeat it."

"It was," the young warrior admitted. "Seemed like nothing I did damaged the thing. The only way Liger and I beat it was by tricking it off a cliff. The zoid was too damaged for the Organoid to use it anymore, so it left. That's when it picked up the Rev Raptor and chased me here."

"And then we bailed your sorry butt out by shooting down the Rev Raptor," Leena finished.

"You helped me out, I have to admit," Bit agreed. He yawned. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get some sleep. Wake me up when we're going to head out for our first battle." He stretched and yawned again, then headed for his room. 

"Heck of a story, huh?" Leena mused.

"You've sure got that right," Jamie said excitedly. "An actual Organoid! That's incredible!" "I can't help but feel I've heard of that Horace guy," the Doc mentioned as they wandered off to bed. "I just can't place him."

"Not some other long-lost friend that went evil, I hope," Brad said.

"No, that type I'd remember," the Doc said with a small laugh. "Oh well. It'll come to me sooner or later. Right now, we need some sleep before the battle."

Leena stretched. "I guess so. We don't want to be exhausted for our first match." She grinned and punched one fist into her palm. "I'm looking forward to trouncing our opponents tomorrow. Those sisters will be sorry they messed with us, and _me_ especially."


	3. The Blitz Team vs. The Hellfire Team

Daybreak revealed the Hovercargo rolled towards its battle site, its passengers ready and eager for their first battle in S class.

Bit rubbed his eyes, yawning. "Okay, so who are we fighting?"

"The Hellfire team," Jamie explained patiently. "We met them at the party the other night. They're triplet sisters, and decent fighters from what I hear." A disgusted expression crossed his face. "_Despite _the fact it looks like they cheated their way into Class S."

"How about the battle mode?" Bit asked, ignoring the last part. "Standard mode 0982?"

"Actually, no," the Doc said from his normal station. "It's battle mode 0961. It means," he said quickly, before Bit could ask, "that it's a tag team battle. Each warrior enters combat, then tags out when they feel they have to, or their combat system freezes."

"And we win after all the opponent's Zoids are knocked out," Bit concluded. "Sounds simple enough." He yawned. "Mind if I don't go first? I've been fighting for my life all month, and it still may not be over."

"I'll go first," Leena said, grinning evilly. "They wanted a piece of me at the party, so now they're gonna get it."

"Another little thing you missed," Jamie said. "You see-"

"Explain it later," Brad interrupted. "We've reached the battlefield."

"Better get into your Zoid, Leena," the Doc advised. "The Hellfire team should be here any minute."

"Right, Dad," Leena said. She cracked her knuckles, and as she walked out, they heard her say, "They are really going to regret messing with me..."

Bit looked at Jamie. "So the Stygian sisters and Leena didn't get along?"

"The sisters don't get along with any female Class S warriors," Brad explained. "Everyone says they feel threatened by any other Class S women."

"So we're basically going to be seeing the Zoid warrior equivalent of a catfight," Bit grinned. "This should be good."

"This should be scary," Jamie corrected. "Have you ever seen two girls in a catfight?"

There was a long moment of silence. Then, Toros said, "Maybe you should raise the shield after Leena deploys the Gunsniper, Jamie."

***

The sisters did arrive a minute later, their green Whale King setting down a few clicks opposite the Hovercargo. The speaker crackled as one of the sisters hailed them. ~ This is Jadis of the Hellfire team. Blitz Team, are you prepared to do battle? ~ 

~ This is Leena of the Blitz Team, ~ Leena's radio broke in. ~ I'm the first warrior. Who's coming out to oppose me? ~ 

~ Our first warrior will be Chellryn, ~ Jadis said. ~ She will be exiting now. ~ The Whale King's drawbridge opened. 

"You know," Bit realized, "I have no clue what Zoids they'll be using."

"They always use some custom jobs from what I've heard," Brad said. "Zoids called Graymaulkins, or something like that."

Jamie's eyes widened. "Well, that's not what they're using now! LOOK!"

They all looked towards the Whale King. At first, all they saw was that three Zoids, not just one, were exiting the carrier. Then, they saw what kind of Zoids they were.

Staring down the Gunsniper were perfect copies of the Liger Zero Jager, Schneider, and Panzer.

For a long time, no one spoke. Then, Brad asked weakly, "Doc? The Liger is still on the maintenance deck, right?"

"What interests me is where they got three of them," Bit said, sounding angrier than he had ever sounded before. "And how they got the schematics for my custom armor components!" He rounded on Doctor Toros, looking very angry.

The Doc held up his hands, looking baffled. "I didn't sell the plans for the Liger Zero or its armor! This has me just as confused as you!"

Leena's image appeared on the viewscreen. ~ What's going on, Dad? Where did they get three Liger units? ~ 

"I just said I didn't know!" Toros exclaimed. "I would never sell off our secrets to our competitors! In fact, I refused several very generous offers from a-" He broke off suddenly. "Oh no..."

"What? What is it, Doc?" Jamie asked.

A beep over the comm prevented him from answering. ~ Impressed by our Zoids, are you? ~ Chellryn's mocking tone said. ~ They were sold to us by a certain-~ 

"Horatio Gilbert Alexander Damascus the Third," Toros said grimly. "That's where I heard his name. He kept wanting to make scans of the Liger and build more of them. Said it'd be good money, that lots of pilots would want a copy of the Zoid that was on the winning team of the Royal Cup. But when I kept saying no, I didn't want to ruin our edge, he backed off."

Bit's expression darkened. "Then the whole trip out to the ruins-" 

"Was a ploy to get you and your Liger into his carrier," the Doc confirmed. "He must have been running scans the whole time you were with him. As for where he got the armor components," he sighed. "I guess the people I had design and build them weren't so unwilling to sell."

~ Let's forget about that right now! ~ Leena broke in. ~ What I'd like to know is why do they have all three Zoids out here?! This is supposed to be a one-on-one tag team battle! ~ 

~ It _is_ one-on-one, ~ Chellryn countered. ~ One pilot versus one pilot. We'll just be piloting three zoids at once with slave-rigging. ~ 

~ Then you end up with a total of _nine_ Zoids on the field! ~ Leena yelled. ~ It's not fair! ~ 

Bit cleared his throat. "Um, excuse me? Slave-rigging? What's that?"

"You basically operate another Zoid by remote control," Jamie said quickly. "Although it's usually not done, and especially not in battles like this!"

"Then just ask the Judge for a ruling," Bit suggested. "He should be here in a minute; just see what he says about it."

There was a long silence. Then, Leena said, ~ Bit, that's actually a good idea. The Judge won't let these three cheat this way. ~ She glared at the three Ligers staring her down.

~ Ask him now and see, ~ Chellryn jeered. ~ He's landing now. ~ 

True to what she said, it was at that moment the judge capsule crashed into the ground, making the standard crater. After the white capsule had emerged from the ground, the Judge began its usual speech. {The area within a ten mile radius is a designated Zoid battlefield. This zone is now restricted. Only competitors and personnel have authorized entry. Danger! All others must leave the area at once. Area scanned… battlefield setup! The Blitz Team versus the Hellfire team. Battle mode 0961. Ready… FIGHT!}

"Um, excuse me, Judge?" Bit interrupted. "We have a question for you."

The Judge hesitated. It seemed surprised to be interrupted so quickly. {Blitz Team member Bit Cloud recognized. State your query.}

~ Tell them they can't use three Zoids in this fight! ~ Leena yelled. ~ This battle is supposed to be one-on-one tag team, not three-on-one with slave-rigging! ~ 

{Deliberating,} the Judge mused. {Deliberating…. deliberating….}

~ Come on, ~ Leena grumbled quietly. ~ It's not that tough. ~ 

{A decision has been reached,} The Judge finally announced. {The Hellfire team may use three slave-rigged Zoids.}

~ Oh, come on! ~ Leena protested, but the Judge wasn't finished.

{However, if they use three Zoids at once, they may not tag out,} the Judge ruled. {The choice is theirs to make.}

~ Then my choice is simple, ~ Chellryn said instantly. ~ _I_ will fight for the honor of my sisters, and defeat the Blitz Team! ~ 

~ Only if you get past me! ~ Leena yelled. With a fierce battle cry, Leena's Gunsniper hurled itself off the magnetic launcher, landing several meters from the three Ligers. ~ Okay, witch! Let's settle this right now! ~ A mad laugh escaped Leena as she opened fire with her main guns, the air ripping with noise as her shots flew towards the Ligers. 

Unfortunately, she missed two out of three Zoids.

Both the Jager and Schneider modes leapt out of the way of Leena's shots, the Schneider lagging slightly behind. The Panzer, with its heavy armor, could take the Gunsniper's fire without flinching, and did.

Leena did her best to fight three opponents at once. When her fire proved ineffective against the Panzer, she targeted the Schneider, the slower of the Liger's other two modes. ~ Okay, let's see you dodge this one! ~ Again, she opened fire, this time with _all _her guns. The shots streaked towards the orange Zoid, and it took off running. For a few seconds, it looked like Leena would score a hit, but then-

The Schneider passed close to the Jager, and the missiles lost their lock on the orange Liger. The Jager mode hesitated, then sprung into action, as the Schneider halted, waiting to be used again. While it waited, the Jager's speed proved highly effective in losing the missiles, causing them to crash into each other and detonate.

"Interesting," Bit murmured. 

~ This is tricky, ~ Leena said. ~ Any advice, Jamie? ~ 

Jamie tapped his console as fast as he could, trying to work something up. "Try using your jets on the Schneider," he suggested. "That mode doesn't have the speed of the Jager, or the armor of the Panzer, so you might be able to damage it enough to cause a system freeze."

~ Got it! ~ the Gunsniper's jets flared to life, hurling the heavily armed Zoid at the orange Liger. Leena's opponent hesitated a moment, then the Schneider dashed forward, holding the distance between it and the Gunsniper. Leena started firing again, with little success. However, their path brought them close to the green Liger, and that seem to give Bit an idea.

Abruptly, Bit stepped forward and hit the comm. "Leena! Try going for the Panzer!"

~ Are you nuts?! ~ Leena demanded. ~ The Panzer's armor and weapons are way too much, even for my Zoid! I'll get blasted to pieces! ~ 

"Just head for it, then veer off at the last second! If I'm right, you should be able to escape without any damage at all!" Bit encouraged.

Leena paused, then responded. ~ You'd better be right about this. ~ Her Zoid began its turn.

Jamie looked at Bit in confusion. "I don't get it, Bit. Why have Leena head for the Panzer? It's not like she can damage it."

"I'm playing a hunch," Bit said. His face was in an unusually focused expression. "If I can figure out which Zoid that girl is in, I can figure a way to beat her with the _original_ Liger."

"It sounds good," the Doc admitted, "but they know all about the Liger's abilit-"

"Hold it! Look!" Bit pointed at the monitor. Leena had engaged the Panzer, and the two were exchanging fire. However, the other two Zoids were not moving to help. In fact, the Jager wasn't moving, and the Schneider was still running, totally ignoring the two battling Zoids.

Bit grinned confidently. "Got 'em. Leena! Get back to the Hovercargo, I'm going out!"

~ Roger, Bit! ~ Leena turned her Zoid and hauled back to the carrier as fast as her jets would take her.

"Okay, I'm heading for the maintenance deck," Bit said, going for the door.

"I'll have the Liger ready when you get there," Jamie promised. "What mode do you want?"

"None of the enhanced armor units," Bit said. "I'm sticking with the Zero." Then, he was out the door.

A long silence followed his exit. Brad finally spoke up. "Did he just say he's going up against all three of his own Zoid's forms?"

"With just the basic unit, no less," the Doc mused. "He must really have something up his sleeve."

Jamie hit the comm lines, opening a secure link to Bit. "Are you sure about this? The Zero is the weakest of the Liger's four modes."

Bit's image appeared. He was seated in the Liger's cockpit and appeared ready to go. ~ Positive. Even if it doesn't have as much raw power as the others, it does have advantages over each of them. ~ 

Brad's eyebrows raised as Jamie started the pre-launch sequence. "Like what? It certainly isn't as fast or strong as the other modes." 

Bit didn't answer right away. Instead, he asked, ~ Jamie, am I ready to go or what? ~ 

"We're just waiting for Leena to get back to the Hovercargo," he replied. "Once she does, it's considered a tagout, and you can deploy."

~ Then hurry up and launch! ~ Leena yelled. ~ I'm officially tagging out! ~ She pulled her Gunsniper to a halt behind the Hovercargo's door, waiting for Bit to launch so she could enter.

"Okay!" Jamie opened the main launch door and extended the ramp. "Liger Zero, prepare for launch!"

Inside the Liger's cockpit, Bit grinned. "Let's do this. LAUNCH!" With a rush of energy, the battle-scarred Liger Zero landed on the battlefield. 

At the Hovercargo's controls, Jamie saw the damage to the Zero armor and winced. "Doc, why didn't that get repaired last night?"

"I did my best," the Doc said defensively. "I had the repair systems on the Hovercargo working all night to get the Liger prepped for battle."

"It doesn't matter," Bit interrupted, hearing them commenting over his radio. "The damage isn't severe enough to hamper the Liger's fighting abilities, and a few more hours will have it patched up completely once this battle is over." He turned his attention to the field. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a fight to win. Ready, Liger?"

The Liger's roar came back strong and angry. _These pretenders will not enter another battle. They die here and now._

Bit nodded, another grin escaping. He surveyed the battlefield. "Okay, let's see... for this to work... our first target should be... the Jager!" Taking aim, he ignited his ion boosters and charged as fast as he could towards the Jager copy. Once it was clear Chellryn was remotely piloting that Zoid, Bit threw the Zero into a hard turn, speeding away from the Jager, towards the Panzer.

Chellryn's mocking laugh echoed over the comm lines. ~ You dare to try and fight us with that outdated model? This will be easier than defeating Leena Toros! ~ The blue Liger sprung into action, easily giving chase to Bit.

Leena bit her lip. "What's he doing out there? He can't possibly hope to beat them!"

~ Like I haven't heard that enough times today! ~ Bit said, sounding cheerfully irritated. ~ Trust me, we know exactly what we're doing. Don't we, Liger? ~ 

The Liger's roar echoed throughout the battleground in response.

At the helm, Bit checked his radar. "Okay, the Jager's twenty meters back and closing... we're four hundred meters from the Panzer... this should do it!" Abruptly, Bit cut power to the left ion booster and shunted more to the right one. The result was that the Liger Zero hurled itself into a spin, halting when Bit cut the power completely- which pointed the Zero right at the closing Jager.

Bit grinned. "Gotcha." With about seventeen meters between the two Zoids, he fired his shock cannon right at the copied Jager's feet.

What he hit, however, was dirt. The Jager managed to halt itself just before Bit's shots connected. The unfortunate end was that only thing Bit's fire did was kick up a curtain of dust.

Everyone in the Hovercargo let out a sigh of disappointment. "So close," Jamie moaned. "That almost worked."

"He should've aimed for the head," Brad criticized.

"Or fired more shots," Leena suggested.

The Doc didn't say anything. _Is he doing what I think he's doing?_

Chellryn laughed again. ~ Clever attempt, Cloud, but quite futile. The Jager can stop instantly, unlike your Zero model. ~ 

~ Then how about I test out the armor on your Schneider copy?! ~ Bit yelled. Everyone turned at the sound of his voice. Bit was moving as fast as he could, tearing all out for the orange Zoid parked a distance away. 

Toros grinned. _He really IS doing it... smart boy, Bit... very smart..._

"What's he up to?" Leena asked.

"He's going to try and take out the Schneider first, I think," Jamie said. "It's the one Bit has the best chance of beating with just the Zero mode. That move against the Jager was just a decoy to split up the two Zoids."

Chellryn's displeasure at being tricked was very obvious. ~ You little worm! You can't deceive one of the Stygian Sisters that way! ~ 

"News flash, sister: I just did!" Bit smiled, satisfied. As long as he kept goading her, she would get angrier and angrier. "By the way, you're about to lose your Schneider."

~ Not a chance! ~ As Bit closed in, the orange Zoid flared to life, its long blue swords folding out from its body. Bit instantly threw the Liger into a turn, heading the opposite direction. With its boosters still on, the Zero had no trouble keeping in front of the Schneider.

He focused and took a deep breath. "Okay, Liger," he said quietly, "this is the tricky part. You ready?"

_Always._

Jamie looked at the monitors, puzzled. "I don't get it. First, he splits up the Jager and Schneider, presumably so he can take on the Schneider without interference. Then, he turns around and makes the Schneider chase _him_. What's he doing? Hoping he can wear out the Zoids?"

"Not hardly," the Doc said, and they were shocked to see a smile on his face. "Bit knows exactly what he's doing. Let's just watch and see if- yes, there it goes!"

The Liger's ion boosters, its main advantage over the Schneider, sputtered and died. The Zero's speed plummeted, and suddenly the Schneider was holding steady behind the Zero.

Jamie gave a squawk and hit the radio. "Bit! What's going on?! Why did you cut your boosters?!"

~ I didn't! ~ Bit yelled. ~ I guess I just pushed them so hard over the past month that they finally just quit! ~ 

A frown crossed the Doc's face. 

~ And now you are mine! ~ Chellryn crowed. She kicked in the Schneider's own boosters, closing the distance between the two Zoids much more quickly. Bit didn't waste time responding, but started putting on twists and turns, everything he could do to keep the distance between him and the Schneider without his jets. 

It appeared to be working, too. With its heavier armor and weapons, the Schneider was better at close-range combat, but lacked the maneuverability of the Zero. It still had its boosters on, but now, they were being forced to help turn, rather than catch up.

Chellryn was getting annoyed again. ~ You can't keep this up forever! You're still mine! ~ 

~ Nope! ~ Bit yelled back, sounding confident once more. ~ You're MINE! ~ 

They all saw, to each of their surprise, the Liger Zero had somehow, during its insane maneuvering, managed to get in front of the Panzer, and had begun to glow.

~ Say good-bye to your Panzer! _Strike Laser Claw!!! ~ _ The next few seconds seemed like a slide show, as if what happened was a moment frozen in time. 

The Zero began its leap into the air, its claws glowing with deadly power-

-before it could even begin it lethal decent, the Panzer's Hybrid Cannon cut loose, sending an even more dangerous bolt of energy into the air--the Zero's jets flared to life (they still worked?!) propelling the white Liger through the air, over the shots, over the Panzer, and landed safely on the ground.The Schneider, however, was not so lucky.The orange Zoid had caught up with Bit on his final run for the Panzer, and was only a few dozen meters from the tank-like Zoid when the cannon went off. It attempted to follow Bit's maneuver and jump over the Panzer's shots, but was too heavy to get enough height. While it did dodge the actual blast, the shockwave alone was enough to tear the armor plating off its stomach, and send the Schneider crashing headfirst into the Panzer. The two Zoids collided _hard_, sending fragments of glass off each cockpit, crumbling their armor like tinfoil. It didn't end there. The Panzer's cannon shots continued after glancing the Schneider, then slammed the non-moving Jager, still sitting in the Panzer's line of fire where Bit had lured and left it. The blast from the Hybrid Cannon grazed the Zoid on its hindquarters, shearing off several inches of armor plating. The Zoid staggered, then collapsed. The Judge's horn blast filled the air. {Battle over! Battle over! The winner is… the Blitz Team!} The Judge raised its blue-handed arm, making the decision official. Chellryn's curses filled the radio."We… won," Leena said, stunned. Then, she grinned. "We won our first battle in Class S!" she cheered."Nice work, Bit!" the Doc commended. "Excellent tactical planning."Jamie switched off the comms to the other team. Chellryn's cursing were getting very offensive. "I don't get it, though. How did Bit manage to pull all that off?"~ It really wasn't as tough as you'd expect, ~ Bit said, appearing on the radio. ~ After watching Leena fight, I realized something about the Jager and Schneider copies. ~ His look was extremely smug. ~ They were responding very sloppily. ~ "Coulda fooled me," Leena grumbled, although she still sounded very cheerful. "They were moving pretty fast."~ Not to me, ~ Bit countered. ~ I've piloted all the Liger's modes, and I know how they're supposed to move. With the pace they were reacting, I figured they were the ones that were remote controlled- from the Panzer. ~ The Doc nodded. "The Panzer requires the least amount of focus, so the Hellfire pilot worked the other two from _it_."~ That gave me an idea, ~ Bit went on. ~ I figured that the Sister would have a hard time switching rapidly from Zoid to Zoid, so that's exactly what I forced her to do. They were counting on engaging each fighter separately, not me luring them into a situation where they would take out their own warriors. ~ 

"Which is why you cut your jets," Jamie realized. "You made it look like they failed, but you cuth them on purpose. That gave you an excuse to run all over the place, so they didn't notice you were setting them up."

"But why take the Zero?" Brad asked. "How did you know it would be enough to beat all three forms of your own Zoid?"

~ Simple, ~ Bit explained. ~ The Zero is the original unit. It's not as fast at the Jager, not as well armed as the Jager, but it's a lot more _maneuverable_ than either of them. As for the Panzer…~ he shrugged. ~ That thing can barely twitch, so the Zero had no problem avoiding its shots, as long as it stuck the Hybrid Cannon. ~ 

Jamie shook his head admiringly. "Bit, whatever else happened out in the desert, it's made you a much better warrior. You never could have pulled something like that off in the past."

~ Spend a few weeks fighting for your life, ~ Bit said dryly. ~ It's guaranteed to improve your combat skills a few notches. ~

~ Advice to keep in mind for the future, ~ Jadis said coldly. Chellryn was still cursing. ~ Now remove your Zoids from the field and our Jager. ~ "Not a problem," the Doc said cheerfully. "Bit, let's pull out and let them take their cheap Schneider knock-off." 

~ I can't really do that, Doc, ~ Bit replied, sounding strange. ~ Something else just came up. ~ 

Toros frowned. "What is it? What's wrong?"

~ Take a look by the Schneider, ~ Bit said, his voice suddenly tight as a wire. ~ There's something over there. ~ 

"Jamie?" the Doc asked.

"Bringing it up now." A shot of the downed copy appeared on the screen. For a moment, no one could see why Bit was so worried. Then, something moved. 

Something small and gold.

For a long moment, there was dead silence. Then, Leena said softly, "I didn't think it was so pretty..."

~ Pretty?! _PRETTY?! _Leena, this thing tried to kill me and destroy the Liger for a month! ~ Bit yelled. ~ Someone get out here and help me! ~ 

"Huh? Oh, yeah, right! I'll be right there!" Leena started to head for the launch bay. 

"Don't bother," Jamie said grimly. "I'm still re-arming the Gunsniper. You won't be able to go out for another ten minutes at least."

"Oh, man," Leena groaned.

"What about the Fox?" Brad asked quickly.

Jamie shrugged. "You didn't use it, so it should be fine to launch."

~ Good! Now someone get out here! I'll slow it down, but if we're not careful, it's only a matter of time before it merges with that Liger! ~ Bit yelled. Not waiting for a reply, he fired his cannon, trying to distract the Organoid. The tiny creature hissed, then leapt aside, dodging the fire. The Liger lunged into the air, pouncing on where the Organoid was standing. 

Leena looked slightly amused. "It's kind of like a cat and mouse."

~ Jamie! I'm ready to launch! ~ Brad informed him.

"Acknowledged. Preparing to deploy Shadowfox!" The Hovercargo's magnetic launcher extended, then hurled the black Zoid into the air. Brad landed several meters from where the Liger was still trying to keep the Organoid contained. The creature turned its head, glanced at him, then turned back to the Zero.

~ Bit! Get clear! ~ Brad yelled. He brought the Fox's gun around, targeting the creature. Bit leaped clear just as the Shadowfox opened fire, throwing up a cloud of dust.

~ What are you shooting at? ~ Jadis demanded, appearing on their screens. ~ The battle is over, and you will _not_ attempt to keep us from retrieving our Zoids! ~ 

~ We're not trying to! ~ Bit retorted. ~ We're trying to keep everyone alive! ~ 

Abruptly, Brad cursed. ~ Bit! I lost him! ~ 

~ Great! Where did he go?! ~ 

~ I don't know! I lost him in the dust cloud! ~ He turned to Jamie. ~ Can you detect him? ~ 

"Hold on," Jamie bit his lip, scanning. "It's not anywhere near the other two Ligers..." His face suddenly went white. "Guys! It's over by the Jager!"

~ Get that thing away from our Zoid! ~ one of the sisters shrieked in rage.

~ _Brad! FIRE!!! ~ _ Bit yelled. Both pilots opened up with their guns, trying desperately to hit the Organoid before it could merge with the shut down Jager.

They were too late.

The gold Organoid had reached the Jager and merging as fast as it could, melting metal into metal. In seconds, the Liger copy was on its feet and ready to fight.

Inside his cockpit, Bit clenched his jaw, preparing for what he was certain was going to be a very nasty battle.

"Ok, Liger," Bit said quietly, "This is it. There's nowhere left to run, for us or him. There's no backing down this time."

_Nor any reason to fight like this_, the Liger growled.

Bit blinked. He hadn't been expecting that. "What? You don't want to fight?"

_Not in this mode. It is no longer necessary._

Abruptly, Bit caught on. "Gotcha, Liger." He contacted Brad. "Brad, can you hold this guy for a few minutes? I need to convert into another mode."

~ I'll do my best, ~ Brad said reluctantly. ~ This just better not turn out like when I held off the Berserk Fury for you. ~ 

"No sweat!" Bit reassured him. "It only saw your Zoid for a few minutes last night, remember? That's not enough time for it to have learned your moves!"

~ You'd better be right, ~ Brad warned. ~ Now get going! ~ Without waiting for a reply, he set off a smoke screen, concealing both his and Bit's Zoid from the Organoid. 

Bit slammed his jets on, running all out for the Hovercargo. "Jamie! Get the bay doors open! I need the Schneider!"

You got it! ~ Jamie replied. ~ Just be quick. The last thing we want is that Organoid to get in before you do- it could do a _lot_ of damage to the Hovercargo. ~ 

"No problem," Bit said confidently. "I'm in."

"Liger Zero, secured on the maintenance deck," Jamie confirmed from his station. "Beginning transformation to Zero Schneider."

"Are you sure about this, Bit?" The doc asked. "The Schneider won't be able to keep up with the Jager, especially with the Organoid enhancing its speed. How are you going to beat that thing?"

Bit's face tightened on the screen. ~ I'm not sure. My best hope is that even though it's faster, its guns can't really hurt the Schneider. That means he'll have to do a Strike Laser Claw, and that's when I use the Buster Slash. ~ 

"Better make this quick, Jamie," Toros ordered. "Brad's having trouble out there."

~ Glad you finally noticed! ~ Brad yelled. He was doing his best against the Jager, but as powerful as the Shadowfox was, it was being outmaneuvered at every turn. Brad was simply unable to catch up with the blue Zoid long enough to do any damage.

"Doc," Jamie interrupted. "The Sisters are hailing us again. They've got the other two Zoids in their carrier, and they're screaming at us to give back the Jager."

"Tell them we're working on it," the Doc said, irritated, "but they'd better not blame us for any damage to it."

Jamie gulped. "Okay, Doc." He checked his boards. "Liger Zero Schneider, CAS complete. Prepare for launch!"

"What about my Gunsniper?" Leena demanded anxiously.

"It's 36% reloaded," Jamie said. "Another three minutes or so."

Leena plopped into a chair, disgusted. "Great. A fight I could actually win, and I can't deploy. Just great."

~ Zero Schneider, ready for launch! ~ Bit announced. the response came by way of the bay door opening and extending its ramp. 

Bit grinned. "_Go Schneider!_" The launcher hurled Bit into the air once more, landing him a short distance from the Jager and Shadowfox. He took a few seconds to glance at the scene.

The two Zoids seemed to be in a standoff. They were facing each other, about thirty meters apart. The Shadowfox had a few burns from the Jager's guns, but they were not serious. The Jager itself appeared to have no damage other than what the Panzer had inflicted earlier, which was basically nothing.

~ Glad to have you here, ~ Brad grumbled. ~ About time you showed up. ~ 

Bit shrugged. "At least your Zoid still has its legs this time, right?"

Brad's response was cut off by a huge, angry roar from the Schneider. The Jager immediately answered with an equally powerful roar. The sound of the two Ligers challenging each other echoed for miles into the desert.

The comm lines sprang to life, and suddenly Bit found himself looking at a very angry Stygian Sister. ~ Enough of this foolishness! We want our Zoid back, and NOW! ~ 

"I don't think it wants you back," Bit said in a distracted manner. He was keeping most of his attention focused on the Jager- it looked like it was about to move. "Not yet, anyway. I promise you'll get it back once I've beaten that Organoid out of it."

The sister- Bit still couldn't tell which of the triplets it was- scoffed. ~ Do you take me for a fool? Organoids are myth. They never existed. ~ 

"Then what exactly crawled into your Zoid?" Bit demanded. _Any second now..._

~ Something _you_ made, ~ she accused. ~ Something that would take control of our machine and make it appear that it was trying to kill you, simply so you could destroy one of our Zoids! ~ 

Bit didn't waste time on a response- at least, not to her. "Okay, he's about to move. Any ideas where?"

The Liger's growl was very tense, but focused. _Yes. The enemy will feint right, then activate its boosters to try and attack from behind. That must not be allowed._

"Got it," Bit agreed, seeing the logic in the attack. The Schneider was built for head on combat- while its defense was strong all over, an attack from behind risked damaging the Schneider's boosters and decreasing its attack power. He hailed Brad. "That thing is about to move. When it does, fire left."

~ Ri- ~ 

Brad never got a chance to finish the word. The Jager suddenly burst into action, throwing itself right for a few steps, then spinning as fast as it could and heading left, its jets burning to life.

The Shadowfox's spat fire at the Jager, its shots tracing the faster Zoid's path. Unfortunately, Brad's curses came faster than his shots. ~ Bit! I missed him! Watch yourself! ~ 

Bit's only response was a blur of motion. The Schneider's blades whipped out all over, covering the face and raking out to the sides. Bit wheeled his Zoid to face the Jager, and charged. "_Buster Slash!_"

In response, the Jager's ion boosters activated, moving it faster than it could ever have done before, leaving a trail of false images behind it. At the same time, the Jager itself began to glow as it powered up for its own close-range attack.

With another pair of earth-shattering roars, the two Zoids leapt into the air, raced towards each other, crossed in mid-air, and landed exactly where the other had been.

For a few seconds, neither moved. Then, both Zoids turned and faced each other again.

Jamie watched in confusion. "I don't get it. Who won that charge?"

~ Neither of us, ~ Bit said grimly. ~ We both dodged at the same time, so the best we did was nick each other on the pass. ~ 

The Doc examined his scanners. "Looks like he's right, Jamie. The Schneider has a gash on its left armor plating from the Jager, but _it_ has a cut on its _right_ armor plating." He sighed. "Both are too minor to really do any harm to the Zoids. Bad news for us."

"Well, here's some good news!" Jamie announced triumphantly. "The Gunsniper is ready to launch!"

"Finally!" Leena exclaimed. "Launch me as soon as I get down there!"

~ Make it quick, ~ Brad advised. ~ Bit and the Organoid look like they're about to go again, and this time, one of them is going to die. ~ 

A quick glance at the field showed the truth of Brad's statement. The two Ligers were circling each other warily, but were clearly eager to at each other once more. The Schneider's blades hummed with energy, while the Jager was glowing so brightly it was hard to look at.

~ Leena, ready to mobilize Gunsniper! ~ she announced from her cockpit. ~ Hurry up and launch me! ~ 

"Mobilizing now!" Jamie hit the keys feverishly, trying to get Leena onto the battlefield before Bit and his enemy acted again.

~ _WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH OUR ZOID?!?!?! ~ _

The Doc shook his head. "I keep forgetting about them. Although," he added, "I'm not quite sure how. They're certainly loud enough to keep your attention." He turned his attention to the monitor showing a now extremely irate, and very noisy, Stygian Sister. "We're fighting against it for the very life of one of our team members," he explained, as calmly as if he were saying two plus two made four. "If you'll just be patient for a few more minutes-"

~ No more patience! ~ she yelled. ~ No more stalling, no more delays! Hand over our Zoid _this instant_, or we report you to the Zoid battle commission for theft! ~ 

"We're not stealing!" Jamie protested. "Your Zoid has-" a sudden idea struck him. "Your Zoid has been hijacked- by the Backdraft group!"

_That _caught them off guard. ~ What? ~ 

"Yep!" Jamie said. "That little gold thing was a remote control device. It lets them fight in a battle without actually being there!"

The sister was looking increasingly nervous. ~ Weren't they the group that used the Berserk Furher in the Royal Cup? ~ 

"Fury," Jamie countered, "and yes, that was them."

"They also take all your Zoids if you lose to them," The Doc said, pressing Jamie's advantage. "I bet you'd hate that."

The Sisters quickly shut down the comm lines, turned their Whale King around, and hauled themselves away as fast as they could.

Jamie looked very satisfied. "I thought that might get rid of them. They've got a lot of Zoids, _and _they're all custom jobs. It'd cost a fortune to replace them if they lost to the Backdraft group." He grinned at the Doc. "Glad you caught on so quick."

Toros shrugged. "Didn't seem hard to figure out. Now, how's the rest of our team doing against that Organoid?"

"Uh.... looks like they haven't moved yet," Jamie said. "The Schneider has all its blades out, but it hasn't attacked yet. The Jager hasn't made any really aggressive moves either."

"Neither one wants to make the first mistake," the Doc muttered. "Okay, where's Brad and Leena?"

"Brad's not far from the two Ligers. As for Leena... she's moving towards them, but she's behind the Jager." 

"So it hasn't seen her yet," the Doc mused. He opened a comm line. "Leena, can you hit the Jager without hitting the Schneider from you current position?"

~ Maybe, ~ Leena said doubtfully. ~ I'll have to take a careful aim, or Bit's likely to get slammed. ~ 

~ Don't worry about me, ~ Bit said, the tension in his voice tight as a wire. ~ I've got a plan. When I break right, fire everything you've got. ~ 

~ Great plan, ~ Leena muttered. 

~ Just do it! ~ Breaking the standoff at last, Bit charged his Zoid to the right. The Jager responded instantly, also moving right- and for a brief few seconds, the Schneider was totally eclipsed by the Jager's entire side.

Leena saw her chance. "_Weasel Unit Total Assault!!!_" For the second time that day, the air was thick with smoke and the stench of gunpowder as Leena's Zoid tore the air with weapon fire.

And her weapon fire tore into the Jager.

With its entire left side exposed, and its attention totally focused on the Schneider, the Organoid was caught completely unaware when the Gunsniper's barrage ripped into it. The Blue Zoid was knocked clear off its feet, collapsing to the ground in a smoking, battered heap.

Complete silence filled the air for a minute. Then, the Liger gave a triumphant roar. ~ Yeah! All right Leena! ~ Bit cheered, celebrating just as much as his Zoid. ~ I think you finally killed it! ~ 

Leena sighed, strangely depressed. "Yeah. I did."

~ I don't think so! ~ Brad yelled. ~ Look at the Jager! ~ 

To everyone's disbelief, the small gold Organoid appeared to be separating itself from the damaged Liger. It was like watching a candle melt in reverse, until finally the entire creature had emerged on the desert sand. 

The Liger growled at it, but there was no fear whatsoever in its voice this time- although Bit did detect a distinct note of relief. _The creature is seriously wounded. As long as it is not allowed to merge with another Zoid, it cannot repair itself and will die soon._

"Good," Bit said, his tone satisfied. "I've had more than enough of this thing."

Leena stared down at the Organoid, feeling terrible. "Poor thing. I wish I hadn't hit it."

Abruptly, as if it had heard her, the creature looked up, directly at Leena's cockpit. It gave a feeble noise, more of a whimper than anything else. 

_Help me..._

Her eyes widened in shock. "What..."

The Organoid, still staring into the Gunsniper's cockpit, whimpered again. _Help me... I don't want to die..._

Without really knowing why, Leena moved the Gunsniper closer, the moved the Zoid into a crouching position. 

~ _LEENA! NO!! ~ _ Bit yelled.

He was too late. With what have been the last of its strength, the Organoid leapt onto one of the Gunsniper's arms, then quickly melted into the larger Zoid's metal frame. The creature had merged with Leena's Zoid before anyone could do anything to stop it.

~ Leena, eject! ~ Bit yelled. ~ Brad, on as soon as Leena's clear, open fire on the Gunsniper! This is our last chance to kill this thing! ~ 

"Wait a second, guys!" Leena said hastily. "There's no need to fire!"

Bit looked at her like she was an idiot, crazy or both. ~ Leena, any second now that Organoid is going to access your combat system and hit us with everything you've got! If we don't act _right now_, we'll be-~ 

"But that's it!" Leena exclaimed. "I haven't lost my combat system controls, and it should have taken over by now, right?"

There was a long pause in Bit's cockpit. Then he nodded. "Yeah, that _is_ strange. Liger, any idea why it hasn't attacked yet?"

The Liger's growl wasn't any less tense than it had been during the battle. _Perhaps it is too injured to continue the fight. Unless it is killed now, it will heal inside the ally and attack again._

Bit nodded. "Okay, Liger." He hailed Leena. "It's going to recover unless we can force it out of your Gunsniper! We have to fire!"

~ Hold on! ~ Doctor Toros broke in. ~ Maybe there's some other way we can get it out of your Zoid, Leena. ~ 

~ We can try and use the Hovercargo's equipment, ~ Jamie suggested.

~ How about opening the Zoid up? ~ Brad mused.

~ I _still_ say we should blast it out, ~ Bit grumbled.

"Why don't we just let it heal itself and come out on its own?" Leena demanded.

Dead silence followed for half a minute. Then, Bit yelled, ~ Leena, are you _nuts?! _This thing hates me and Liger! Or did you forget it tried to kill us for a month?!? ~ 

"I haven't forgotten," Leena said coldly, "you've been saying that ever since you got back. I just think maybe there's another way to deal with it."

Brad was looking at her suspiciously from his monitor. ~ When did you become a bleeding heart? Why all the sympathy for an enemy? ~ 

Leena finally lost her temper. "When I heard this thing pleading for its life! Don't you have any compassion?! How could you hear that and _not _feel sorry for it?!"

Another long silence filled the air. Finally, Jamie asked, ~ Are you sure you heard it talk? The rest of us just heard hissing. ~ 

~ She may have heard something, ~ Bit said reluctantly, like the words were being dragged out of him. ~ I mean, all you guys hear from the Liger is roaring, but I can hear it talking. ~ 

~ Whatever she did or didn't hear can wait, ~ the Doc said firmly. ~ The Organoid is dormant right now inside her Zoid, and I'd like to take the opportunity to see if we can't take some scans of it with the Hovercargo. After all, ~ a delirious grin lit his face, ~ this is the _only _living Organoid in existence. We can learn a lot from it. ~ 

~ And once we're done, we can try and figure a way to get it out of your Zoid, ~ Jamie finished. ~ That is, if Bit can put his killing instinct on pause. ~ 

~ No promises, ~ Bit grumbled, but he started the Liger back to the Hovercargo. Brad followed suit, the Shadowfox trotting along.

Leena took a deep breath. She had kept them from killing the creature so far. Now, it just remained to be seen if she could hold them off until the Organoid had healed.


	4. Technical meeting and Confrontation with...

Jamie sighed and laid back on the couch, staring at the ceiling. "How long has the Doc been scanning your Gunsniper?" he asked.

"Since we got back," Leena replied. She was pacing, apparently too excited to sit still. "Four long hours, and no word on the Organoid's state."

"Bit's hoping it'll die," Brad murmured, leaning against the wall. 

"Is _he _still pacing around too?" Jamie wondered.

"Yep," Brad nodded, "_and _he's carrying that anti-zoid rifle we ended up buying a while back."

"He better not hurt that Organoid," Leena grumbled. "I want to see it when it's not half dead."

Jamie looked at her doubtfully. "I dunno, Leena. It seems pretty nasty to anyone who sides with Bit. I mean, it attacked the Shadowfox when Brad was trying to give Bit time to get to the Hovercargo."

"That's what the point was, right?" Leena asked snippily.

"But _my _point is that until Brad stopped the Organoid from getting to Bit, it was basically ignoring him," Jamie explained. "It was dodging his fire, sure, but it wasn't actively attacking him." He looked very pointedly at Leena. "Which means if it heals, it may go after you, too. You're the one who almost killed it in the first place."

"I don't buy it," Leena growled. "It asked me for help. It won't hurt anyone after it's healed."

Brad straightened up. "Let's go see for ourselves what the Doc says." Jamie and Leena only hesitated a moment before following him.

The Hovercargo was parked near in the hangar, its side panel folded open. Leena's Gunsniper stood in the middle of the platform while scanning lasers passed over it, feeding data to a panel in front of the Doc. Bit was speaking quickly, looking angry. They walked into hearing range just in time to catch the end of what Bit was saying.

"- _really_ don't like this, Doc," Bit hissed. "We should just destroy the Gunsniper and tell Leena the Organoid did it." He had the anti-zoid rifle slung over his shoulder, its colored metal glinting the Hovercargo's bay lights. 

"_Don't- even -try- it_," Leena snarled from behind him, making each word as deadly as she could.

Bit jumped and whirled around. He looked startled, was clearly not about to back down. "This is serious, Leena! That thing is a killer!"

"It's no more killer than you!" Leena yelled. She and Bit were standing nose-to-nose, glaring at each other with the greatest of rage.

"If I could have your attention-" the Doc began, but he was cut off.

"That thing is a monster that won't stop until it kills me, _and_ the Liger!" Bit yelled, his voice echoing throughout the Hovercargo. "It's hated us since it first set foot outside that tomb!"

"And thanks to you, it's half dead!" Leena yelled back. "That sweet animal may not live because of you!"

The Doc tried again. "Uh, people-"

"Hey, _you_ shot the thing!" 

"Yeah, and it was my mistake! I _should_ have shot _you!_"

Toros was shocked. "Leena!"

"No, it's okay, Doc," Bit said angrily. "I always knew Leena had problems with me. I just didn't expect her to be a murderous traitor!"

With an angry shriek, Leena hurled herself at Bit, knocking away the anti-zoid rifle and slamming him to the floor of the Hovercargo, hitting him with her fists. Not about to just take her blows, Bit managed to get his legs under her torso and kick out, sending her sprawling off him and winding her.

"_That's enough!_" Toros roared, and stepped in between them before either could get back up and continue their brawl. "What has gotten _into _you two?!" He glared Bit, whose lip was bleeding, then over to Leena, still clutching her stomach. "You're teammates! You don't fight each other!" 

"Sorry, Doc," Bit grumbled, standing and wiping his lip. "I guess I just get testy when someone I fight alongside takes my enemy's position over mine."

"And I get upset," Leena gasped, holding her side and also standing, "when someone persecutes harmless creatures just because he's afraid of them."

"Harmless my- "

"Enough!" the Doc yelled again. "I will not have you two tearing this team apart! Now, for the moment, put aside you differences and behave!"

Bit and Leena glared at each other, but made no further hostile move. 

Jamie leaned over to Brad. "I think that's the first time I've ever seen the Doc act like a discipline figure for Leena."

Brad nodded. "He actually seemed like _both _their father for a minute there."

"Now that I have your attention," Toros said, turning back to his console, "there's a few things I would like to show you." He tapped a few keys, and a large hologram appeared over the Gunsniper. "Now, the Hovercargo's diagnostic sensors aren't quite as good as the ones in a repair shop, but they're good enough for what I needed to do." He motioned to the Gunsniper hologram. "This is what the Gunsniper looked like before the Organoid merged with it." Tapping a few controls, he zoomed in on one section. A shining, silvery sphere filled the screen. It looked like it was made of octagonal sections, fitted together until forming a ball. "This is Zoid core. As you can see, it's perfectly normal."

"Remind me, Doc," Bit said, scooping up the anti-zoid rifle and putting back on his shoulder, "what's a Zoid core again?"

"It's the heart of the Zoid," Jamie explained. "It regulates power flow to every part of the Zoid- weapons, sensors, combat system, everything."

"Not to mention that it controls the Zoid AI," Brad put in. "That's how Zoids can move and fight without a pilot, even if it is on a limited basis."

Jamie nodded. "That's basically why it's at the very center of the Zoid. The space is where it can be most protected. If anything ever damaged or destroyed the core, the Zoid it's in would be destroyed."

"Right," Toros confirmed. "Now, take a look at the Zoid core once the Organoid merged with Leena's Gunsniper." Another keystroke brought the Zoid core back into focus, but now it was different. There were traces of black and gold etched throughout it, giving the core a striped appearance.

After a long silence, Brad gave a low whistle. "So it really did _merge_ with the Zoid."

"At its very center," the Doc confirmed.

Jamie's eyes widened. "That explains a lot." He looked at Bit. "_This_ is why a merged zoid is so much stronger than usual. When it merged with the Zoid core, it added its own energy to whatever the Zoid already has. That way, it can put more energy than usual into something like the Jager's speed, or the Rev Raptor's firepower."

"So it's like running the Zoid at one hundred ten percent," Bit mused. He snapped his fingers, realizing something else. "And since the Zoid core houses the AI unit-"

"It can control the Zoid's moves from there!" Jamie exclaimed. "This is incredible!"

"So do we know why it merged with my Zoid?" Leena asked. "It was too injured to keep fighting, even in a new Zoid."

"And _why_ was it damaged?" Bit wondered. "It didn't merge with the armor, so why was it wounded so much?"

"Because any hit taken on the exterior of the armor are still felt by the core," Jamie explained. "That's why Zoids suffer command system freezes; it's to protect the core and initiate auto-repair sequences."

"Like a coma victim," Bit mused.

"Sort of," the Doc admitted. "But apparently, Organoids can't do that. They need to be merged with a Zoid in order to repair faster." He tapped a few more controls, and power flow over and through the core became visible. Most of the energy appeared to be going into the core. "As near as I can figure, the Organoid is drawing power from the rest of the Gunsniper's systems in order to heal itself."

Bit's expression darkened. "Do you know how long before it fully heals itself?"

The Doc shrugged. "I really don't know. I don't have any kind of frame of reference, no idea what the Organoid's full strength is..." he sighed. "The only thing I _do _know is that for now, the Gunsniper is out of commission."

"WHAT?!" Leena yelled. 

"The Organoid is drawing too much power from the rest of the Zoid," Toros explained. "The Gunsniper is effectively at fifty percent strength, much too low for combat."

Leena sighed. "Oh well. At least it can heal now."

The Doc nodded, then turned to Bit. "In light of recent events, as well as the data I've gathered from scanning the Gunsniper, I'd like to take a closer look at the Liger Zero, with your permission. Maybe I can figure out why the Organoid in yours has never emerged."

Bit smirked. "I can tell you why right now. He's dead."

There was a long pause. The Doc looked kind of like a fish out of water, his mouth opening and closing without any sound. Finally, he managed a slightly squeaky, "Oh."

"Dead?" Jamie repeated. "But I thought you could hear him, Bit."

"I can," Bit explained. "Liger is an Ultimate X, as we all know. What really boils down to is that he's an Organoid that somehow, in its last moments of life, merged completely with the Zoid core. All of its knowledge, memories, combat experience, and even _soul_, if want to call it that, were stored permanently in the Liger. It's the same with the Berserk Fury."

Leena snorted. "Seems like a waste to me. How does a dead Organoid help you fight?"

"You've seen it," Bit pointed out. "You've seen it ever since I joined the team. The Liger and I have a bond, one that allows us to fight as one." He seemed to be struggling for words to explain it. "When we fight, it's almost like we're part of each other. I can sort of control his movements instinctively, and he has some control over me." He sighed. "It's hard to explain if you haven't felt it. But what it ultimately comes down to is that we fight that much harder because of it. Through that link, I can share in his combat experience, and we can use to predict our opponent's next move."

"That's very interesting," Brad interrupted, "but it doesn't answer one major question: what are we supposed to do with this Organoid?"

The Doc shrugged. "We've got to choices: we can kill it, like Bit wants to, or we can let it heal, like Leena wants to." He looked at Jamie and Brad. "What do you guys want to do?"

Jamie looked sheepish. "I kinda think we should keep it," he said, with an apologetic look at Bit. "I mean, no one has seen an Organoid for so long, they're considered myth. This is a very rare chance, especially when we consider what it could mean for combat abilities."

Toros nodded. "Brad? What about you?"

Brad shrugged. "I don't really care, as long as it doesn't try and kill me again."

Leena grinned smugly, right at Bit. "So it's settled, then."

Bit looked furious. "Fine." Still wearing the rifle, he stalked angrily for the jeep parked in the hangar. 

"Hey!" Toros called after him. "Where are you going?"

"To deal with one problem I _can _get rid of," Bit yelled back.

* * *

Horatio Gilbert Alexander Damascus the Third was feeling very satisfied with himself as he lounged on his new private beach, wearing an expensive silk robe. He took a sip of his iced tea and reflected on his situation.

He was richer than he'd ever been in his life, richer than most people could hope to be, thanks to the Stygian sisters. Buying even _one _of his Liger copies would have earned him a small fortune, but they had bought _three._ They'd paid him a fortune for three Ligers, one of each armor mode. It was more than enough for him to live well on for the rest of his life. 

And that pot certainly wasn't drained. Once word got around that versions of the Zoid that had won the Royal Cup were for sale, he expected orders to come flying in. In fact, Horace had already received a few orders from some teams just starting out. No doubt they were hoping that the Liger Zero had won simply on the strength of the machine, and were trying to capitalize on it.

Of course, there was a small downside, Horace had to admit. Bit Cloud himself had died in that- unfortunate accident. Horace had done his best to work down his guilt, telling himself he'd left because there was nothing he could do, that Cloud was a warrior, he'd be fine. But after a month with no contact to anyone from him at all, Horace could only assume he was dead.

He raised his glass to the empty air. "To you, Bit Cloud," he toasted. "Through me, you will live on in all Zoid warriors who buy my Ligers. And," he grinned, "make me even richer."

"You're not gonna need money where I send you," a voice growled.

Horace fell out of his chair turning around. "No," he gasped, "it _can't _be you!"

It was. Bit Cloud was staring at Horace, his eyes smoldering. Worse still, slung over his shoulder was a very large, very dangerous, anti-zoid rifle. 

Horace gulped. "B-Bit my dear boy! So glad to see you alive! I thought you died when that Command Wolf malfunctioned and blew up!"

Bit snorted as his face twisted into a derisive smirk. "Malfunction? Is that what you've been telling yourself happened?" He took a step forward, and Horace involuntarily stepped back. "Let me tell _you_ what _I _ remember. _I _remember a little gold creature merging with your Command Wolf and trying to kill me. _I _remember that when my life was in danger, and I asked you for help, _you _turned and ran like a pitiful coward." 

"Y-you made it b-back th-though," Horace stammered. "Y-you d-didn't really need me."

"Oh, sure I made it," Bit snarled, "running for my life every single step of the way!" He took another step forward. "And then, when I get here, I find out something _very_ unpleasant." 

Horace had a bad feeling he knew where this was going. "The Ligers?"

Bit snickered. "I guess you're not as stupid as you look." He gave Horace a calculating look. "Of course, you'd have to be smarter than that to trick me into going with you. All that time in the ruins, you weren't running scans of the area. You were running scans of my Liger!"

Horace nodded miserably. "Yes. I knew there was a chance to turn a major profit. It's not like it hasn't been done before." 

"What are you talking about?" Bit growled.

"There's always a prototype!" Horace exclaimed. "It's one of a kind for a while, then someone else likes it and they make more. It's the way of things, especially Zoids! Look at Gunsnipers, or Command Wolves!"

"My point exactly," Bit hissed. "Those two particular Zoids have flooded the market until there's nothing special about them. They became commonplace. Liger is anything but, and I want him to _stay_ that way."

"Oh come on!" Horace wheedled. An idea occurred to him. "In fact, why not join me?"

He blinked. "What?"

"Yes!" Horace encouraged, gaining confidence. "You could endorse my Ligers! Tell every Zoid warrior out there that my machines are just as good as the original!"

Bit's angry expression slammed back into place. "Not a chance," his voice shaking with rage. "Like I said, Liger is a unique creature, and you're shamelessly profiting off him _and _me." He suddenly dashed forward and grabbed the smaller man by his robe. "I want you to call back all the Ligers like mine you've sold, _and_ I want all the copies of the plans for it, including the armor conversion units!"

"Are you crazy?!" Horace shrieked. "This is a gravy train sixty miles long! I won't give it up! I won't!!"

"Then we'll go to the Zoid Battle Commission," Bit hissed, his face inches from Horace's. "I'm sure they'd love to hear how you stole the designs for a registered Class S warrior's personal Zoid."

Horace snorted and yanked himself free of Bit's grasp. "They can't do anything about it. There's nothing criminal in what I've done."

"Oh, we're not going to press charges," Bit said more calmly. A new fire was in his eyes, one more clever than the blind rage he'd been in a moment ago. "See, even if the ZBC couldn't take legal action, it still controls all the battle scheduling. And they owe the Blitz Team, not to mention me personally, at least one favor."

Horace's eyes narrowed. "What are you getting at?"

"I'd guess the Commission won't like what you did any more than I do," Bit said, leaning on his rifle. "So, add that to the favor they owe me, and they'll probably just deny any battle requests from pilots that use your knock-off Zoids."

Horace turned gray. "They _wouldn't_."

"Bet me," Bit challenged. "They don't like dishonest con men any more than the rest of us. You won't sell another unit." He stood, shouldered the rifle, and started walking away, then paused. "I'll be waiting for confirmation you've canceled all orders on the Ligers, _and _I want the plans for the units, as well as its armor modes. If I don't hear back in ten days, you can be certain the ZBC is getting a call from me." He resumed walking away.

For about fifteen minutes, Horace just sat on his chair. Then, any idea occurred to him. "Okay, Bit," he muttered, "You go ahead contact the Battle Commission. I know some people who don't care about them anyway, and would be _very _interested in my Ligers..."


	5. The day before Battle #2

Bit returned to the base to find Jamie still at the Gunsniper, running scans from his console. He glanced over as Bit walked up. "Hey, Bit. Did you get what you were after?"

"More or less," Bit said with a shrug. "I'll tell you about it later." He glanced at the Gunsniper. "What are you doing?"

"Just doing some scans," Jamie said guiltily.

Bit gave him a very suspicious look. "Jamie..."

Jamie held up his hands. "I really _am _running scans. I'm trying to figure out how much more powerful Leena's Gunsniper will be once the Organoid is back to full strength."

For a long minute, Bit didn't do anything. Then, he sighed dejectedly and slumped to the floor. "Great. It's got you, too."

Jamie couldn't think of anything to say.

Bit stood up suddenly, his eyes burning. "I can feel it, Jamie. I can feel that thing inside her Zoid's core, like a cancer. I can feel its hatred towards me, Liger, you, Brad..." He resisted the urge to kick the Gunsniper's foot. "I can even tell that it likes and respects Leena, since she's the one who shot it down. She proved her strength by nearly killing it. Because of that, it'll listen to her, but I don't for how long."

Jamie frowned. "What makes you think you know all this, Bit?"

Bit jerked his head towards the Liger, parked a short distance away. "Him. My bond with Liger was strengthened last month, I guess to the point that I can faintly hear the Organoid now."

"That's incredible," Jamie mused. "A telepathic link. I always suspected, but..." He shrugged. "Bit, you may be right, maybe it is crazy to let this Organoid live. But I think it's worth the risk, to all of us."

Bit could only sigh as he rose. "Fine. But don't blame me when this things comes after you, too."

* * *

Things seemed very tense over the next two days. Bit was avoiding Leena at all costs, and spent hours running in the desert with the Liger. Leena, for her part, was also doing her best to avoid Bit, and spent a large part of her time in the Gunsniper's cockpit, waiting to see if the Organoid had showed signs of recovery.

"This has got to end," Toros finally said out loud, the second day after Bit had given his ultimatum to Horace. Jamie and Brad both looked over. The Doc was sitting on the couch, an untouched Zoid model in front of him. 

Brad glanced over at Jamie before asking, "What was that, Doc?"

"Bit and Leena are going to end up tearing this team apart," Toros grumbled disappointedly. "They can't see eye to eye on this Organoid thing, and whichever side the rest of us finally take will drive one of them away."

"Why would that happen?" Jamie asked. "None of us are really on Bit's side now, and he hasn't left."

"Not yet," the Doc admitted, "but I think that's only because the Organoid hasn't actually emerged from Leena's Gunsniper. If we decide to keep it, Bit will get even angrier and leave." He smiled mirthlessly. "After al, he doesn't owe me any more money. As for Leena, if it turns out that it really _can't _accept Bit and the Liger Zero, we'll have no choice but to get rid of it."

"Which might make _Leena _angry enough to leave," Brad mused. "Interesting." He glanced at Jamie. "Wanna make a bet?"

"Oh, knock it off," Jamie chided. "This is serious."

"I _am_ serious," Brad said, actually smiling.

"Later, Brad," Toros said firmly. "Now, do either of you have any ideas about how to resolve this without destroying the team?"

"I'm not sure there is one," Jamie said morosely. The other two stared at him. Feeling their eyes on him, he glanced up. "This is more than just two teammates that don't see eye to eye. I think they're channeling their Zoids emotions."

Brad frowned in confusion. "What?"

Jamie sighed. "Bit's had a telepathic bond with the Liger Zero ever since he first saw it, and that's only grown stronger over time. Leena seems to having the same kind of experience with the Organoid, and it's just as powerful as Bit's link to the Liger."

"I think I see where you're going with this," Toros said darkly. "The Liger Zero and the Organoid both hate each other to the point that they're trying to annihilate one another. Now, because of the telepathic links between each of them and their respective partners, they're feeling equally hostile towards each other and anyone who sides against them."

"This might also explain why Bit went after the guy who ripped off the Liger," Brad put in, catching on. "If the Liger is sharing all its hostile emotions with Bit, then that, added to his resentment of what the con man did, probably pushed him well past his limits."

"That still doesn't answer the question of how to deal with them," Toros groaned, his head in his hands. 

There was a very long silence as everyone tried to come up with something. Finally, Brad spoke up. "Maybe if we could get them to fight side by side, get them to respect each other as warriors again?"

"Bit and Leena might," Jamie admitted, "but the Liger and the Organoid? I dunno..."

"Maybe it works both ways," Toros suggested. "If the Liger and the Organoid can channel emotions _into_ our pilots, maybe our pilots can channel _their_ emotions into their partners."

"Could work," Jamie said, obviously liking the idea. "It's definitely worth a try. If we can make them see the value of working together, that each has skills the others can use..."

"There is one problem," Toros said, as if the words left a bad taste in his mouth. "We're going to have to make sure Bit and Leena are forced to work together, or this won't work. And we don't really know any Class S teams well enough to request their help in doing that."

Brad grinned. "I think I can help with that. When should I request the battle?"

"I wouldn't set the battle date just yet," Jamie cautioned. "Let's wait until the Organoid shows signs of waking up, then we'll inform the team we should be fighting the next day."

"Got it." Brad stood and headed for the vid phone.

"Now," the Doc mused quietly, "how do we keep Bit and Leena from killing each other until then?"

* * *

For the first few days, there were no problems keeping Bit and Leena apart, seeing as that's the way they wanted things. However, three days after their meeting (five days since Bit's ultimatum to Horace), things were getting more tense than ever. The air between the two opposing pilots seemed ready to crack under the tension every time they were in the same room. 

Finally, on the sixth day, what they'd all been waiting for, whether hoping for it or dreading it, happened.

The Organoid woke up.

Alarms blared throughout the base, while red lights flashed throughout the halls. Bit had installed a computer monitoring program after the Organoid had merged with Leena's Gunsniper, then hooked into the base security systems. The result was the enormous cacophony that woke everyone up at three in the morning.

"Stupid thing couldn't have waited until later in the day?" Brad grumbled, heading for the Zoid bay. "This is too early for _anything_ to be awake."

"Quit grousing and move it!" Bit yelled, streaking past. The Anti-zoid rifle was back over his shoulder, like it had been grafted on. Brad just shook his head and kept walking.

By the time he reached the hangar, the others were all standing anxiously around the Gunsniper, looking for some sign of the awakening Organoid. Bit had the rifle drawn and was staring down its sight intently. 

"So it hasn't come out yet?" Brad asked, stifling a yawn. 

"No," Bit said tersely. "Any sign yet, Doc?"

Toros was standing at the scanning console on the other end of the Zoid. "Nothing so far," he said reluctantly. "Power to the Gunsniper is back to normal, but the Organoid hasn't- wait, wait, I've got something!" Tapping the keys excitedly, he pulled up a display of the Zoid's internals. "The Organoid just left the core! It's heading for the skin near the lower part of the left leg!"

"This is it!" Bit yelled, racing for the left side of the Gunsniper. 

Leena cut him off at the tail, grabbing the rifle barrel. "You're not going over there with that gun!"

Bit yanked the gun away from her. "You try and stop me, and I'll knock you flat with this thing!"

A sudden, metallic _thud _interrupted the argument before it could get any louder. A second later, before Bit or Leena could move, the gold Organoid walked out from behind the Gunsniper.

There was a long, silent pause as Bit, Leena, and the Organoid stared at each other. The alarms had shut down, and the red lights were no longer flashing, giving the hangar an eerie calm. 

Leena finally broke the calm- with a noise that sounded strangely like a little child greeting a long-lost pet. 

"Goldie!"

To Bit's shock- and everyone else's amusement- Leena rushed over to the gold creature and threw her arms around its neck, giving it what could not be mistaken by anyone for anything other than a hug. The Organoid turned its head, its red eyes staring right into Bit's, and he swore the creature had a look of smugness in its face. Still wearing the same expression, the Organoid put is head gently on Leena's shoulder and made a sound vaguely like a purr.

Despite the fact that Bit was staring down the creature that had tried to kill him time and time again, what Leena called it still sunk in. "Goldy? Did you just call that thing _Goldy?!_"

Leena turned and nodded, also appearing quite smug. "Yep. It's because she's such a pretty color."

Jamie raised an eyebrow. "'She?' It's a girl?" 

"Yeah, she's my little girl, aren't you Goldy?" Leena cooed, talking to the Organoid as if it were a puppy that could fit in her hand, not a ten foot tall metal saurian. 'Goldy', however, seemed to like it. She gave out a soft trill that echoed around the cargo bay.

Toros grinned widely, then stepped forward and offered his own hand, as if to a dog. "Hello, Goldy. Welcome to the team." 

The Organoid sniffed his hand, then gave what seemed like a grudging noise of approval. It reminded Brad of someone who was saying hello when they really didn't want to.

Encouraged, Jamie stepped forward eagerly, holding out his own hand. "Hi there."

"Jamie, NO!" Bit suddenly sprang up and shoved Jamie backwards.

It was a good thing he did. The Organoid took one sniff, then promptly snapped at Jamie's outstretched hand. If Bit hadn't shoved Jamie, he would have lost his left hand.

"Jamie!" Leena scolded. "You scared her!"

"_I _scared _her?!_" Jamie demanded, shaking. "She almost had me for a midnight snack!"

"Oh, come on," Leena scoffed. She looked at Brad. "Come on, Brad. You say hi."

Brad just shook his head and backed up. "Not unless you want to pay for my hospital bills and prosthetic hand. She's nasty."

Goldy hissed.

"Hey, that's no way to talk to my friends!" Leena scolded. She looked at the others. "And _you_ could be a little nicer, too. She just went through a long, hard recovery."

"Which she should never have woken up from," Bit growled. He had the rifle trained on the Organoid, right at its head. 

"Bit! Put that away!" Leena yelled.

"Not until you tell that thing that it isn't allowed anywhere within ten feet of me or the Liger!" Bit yelled back. "I don't trust it!"

Leena started to protest, but her father interrupted. "It's probably safest, Leena," he said firmly. "It did try to kill him rather insistently."

She sighed, then nodded. "Okay." She looked at the Organoid. "Goldy, Bit may be an immature idiot-" (Bit ground his teeth) "but he's still part of the team. Leave him and his Zoid alone, okay?"

Goldy let out a long, slow hiss, but seemed to accept.

"And while you're at it," Jamie added, "tell her to leave the rest of us alone, too."

Leena sighed, but asked, "Can you do that, Goldy?" Again, the Organoid reluctantly complied.

"Okay, then," Toros said cheerfully, "now that that's settled, let's all get back to sleep."

Bit motioned to the door with his gun, still trained on Goldy. "Her first. I don't want those teeth behind me."

Leena rolled her eyes. "Fine, chicken-wuss." She and her new pet headed out of the hangar. 

After they exited, Bit let go of the rifle and slid to the floor with a huge sigh of relief. "From now on, whatever room I'm in and that horror isn't, I'm locking the door."

As he walked out, Toros leaned over to Brad. "I think it's time you made that phone call…"

* * *

[So, what made you call on me?] Marcus asked, looking out from the vid-phone.

"We need your help," Brad explained. "Two of our team aren't getting along very well lately, and we thought if we could get them to fight side-by-side, make them rely on each other, they might get past their... disagreements."

Marcus nodded understandingly. [So you'd like us to go two-on-two in an antiquated battle mode, force your people to work together, let them win, and as a result, drop to 23rd rank, all because an old friend asked me to?]

Brad nodded. "Yep."

[Okay. Things were getting a little too cushy at the 5th rank anyway,] Marcus said amiably. [We'll let your team win.]

Brad smirked. "Actually, you probably shouldn't go too easy on them. They need a good excuse to beat someone into a pulp."

[I'll bear that in mind,] Marcus said dryly. [Now, when do you want this battle?]

"Day after tomorrow. We need to run some tests on one of the Zoids first. It just went through some... rough times," Brad said guardedly. The Doc had asked him to conceal Goldy's existence, claiming that explaining the Organoid would have taken too long. Brad privately thought he was afraid someone would steal his new advantage.

Marcus didn't notice or didn't care Brad's tone, however. [Day after tomorrow. You got it.] The comm line shut down.

Brad let out a breath. "Now let's see if they can _survive_ until the day after tomorrow..."

That didn't prove easy. Bit kept himself sealed in his room most of the time, so he and Leena sniping at each other was no longer a problem. What _was _the problem was Goldy. Every time the Organoid was out of Leena's sight for more than a minute, she started acting like she was stalking whoever happened to be in the room with her. If Leena didn't show up quickly, more often than not whoever Goldy was with ended up hiding behind a locked door. It was with great relief to Brad, Jamie, and even the Doc, when he was able to call a meeting.

"Listen up, team!" Toros announced cheerfully, walking into the living room. The others were all seated in there, except the Organoid. Bit had insisted it stay in the cargo bay for the meeting. "We've got a battle scheduled for the day after tomorrow!"

"Finally!" Bit said, sounding excited. "I could use a little action!"

"Who're we fighting?" Leena asked. 

"The Anlashock team," Toros said, giving Jamie a subtle wink. "They're the number five team in Class S."

"So if we win, we move all the way up to rank 5?" Bit asked eagerly.

"That's the rule," the Doc confirmed.

"This might not be so easy," Jamie warned, playing his usual role. "They've been in the top ten ranks for over a year now, and for most teams, that's almost impossible."

"Marcus always was a good fighter, but he's not unbeatable," Brad said, also playing his part. "We'll take him and his team down no sweat."

"Ah, there's nothing to worry about," Bit said easily. "I just trounced three zoids at once, remember? These guys won't be any kind of competition."

"They might be," the Doc warned. "We're not fighting in the usual 0982 battle mode."

Leena shook her head. "Do people in this rank have an aversion to that mode or something?" 

"They just like to rotate their options," the Doc said. "Now, the mode we're using is 0933. It's-"

"It's incredibly old," Bit interrupted, sounding surprised. "No one's used it in over fifty years."

"Yes, it is," Toros said, looking at Bit in amazement. "How do you know about it?"

Bit shrugged. "Liger mentioned once that he missed some of the variety he had in his past fights. This mode was a favorite of his." 

Leena snorted. "Didn't know a ghost in the shell could have _any_ kind of favorite."

"It's ghost in the machine, and he is _nothing _of the sort," Bit hissed. He looked at the Doc. "Who's fighting? As I recall, it's a two-on-two mode."

"Two-on-two?" Leena asked, puzzled. "Didn't we use that once?"

"Not this way," the Doc said. "This is a two-on-two, 'capture the flag' battle."

Leena blinked. "What?"

"The judge satellite shoots down two electronic marker posts," Bit explained. "It emits a certain type of signal- the 'flag'. Once a zoid gets close enough to a post, it's marked as theirs. Then, then other team tries to get to that post. Whenever an enemy zoid get to within seventy meters of the marker post, both the zoid's computer and the post register the 'flag' is picked up. The match isn't over until one side gets their opponent's flag and runs over to their own marker post, which is registered as a capture. If the other team steals our flag, and then we take theirs, one of us have to suffer a command system freeze before either of us can score."

"So, even if I trash their zoids completely...?"

"It's not actually a win," Bit confirmed. "Not until you take their flag and bring it back to our marker post."

The Doc looked impressed. "You got it, Bit. Now, since you know so much about this mode, why don't you and Leena go out?"

"_WHAT?!"_ they both yelled.

"Sure! This is a great chance!" Toros enthused, acting like his usual exuberant self. "We'll get to see which is more effective in an usual battle, an Organoid, or the legendary Ultimate X!"

"Ultimate X my butt," Leena growled. "Goldy and I could win this alone!"

"No, you couldn't," Bit smirked. "0933 needs a _lot_ of team work. If we don't work together, one enemy zoid can keep us pinned down while the other slips in and grabs the flag." A huge smile lit his face. "You and your Organoid that so totally despises my Liger Zero are going to have to rely on _me._"

"So then it's settled," Toros said firmly, overriding Leena's sputters. "You and Bit will go into 0933 against the Anlashock team the day after tomorrow at noon."

"Sounds good," Bit agreed happily. "I'm going to give Liger a run. We'll be back later." Humming to himself, he walked out. Leena just glared after him for a second, then stormed out. 

There was a long silence after they left. Finally, Jamie spoke up. "That went a lot differently than I was expecting."

"Yeah," Brad concurred. "I figured Bit and Leena would have hated being forced to work together."

"I think a lot of it has to do with the Liger Zero," Toros mused. "When we told Bit about the battle, maybe the Liger heard the same thing over the telepathic link, and its excitement at playing an old favorite is overriding its hate of the Organoid."

"Then this could work out even better than we thought," Jamie said. "If Bit and the Liger are in such high spirits, maybe that'll rub off on Leena and Goldy."

"Let's hope so," Brad said darkly. "The way that Organoid keeps eyeing everyone except Leena like lunch makes me more than a little nervous. If it doesn't learn to accept us as equals, it's gonna have to go, or the rest of will."

"With a little luck, this battle should help," the Doc said hopefully. A thoughtful expression crossed his face. "One other thing Bit said keeps coming back to me, though. Bit mentioned the Liger enjoyed battle mode 0933. That alone makes it over fifty years old."

"So you're curious about how old the Liger Zero is?" Brad asked, as though it seemed pointless.

"Just a thought," the Doc shrugged. "Now, let's see about setting a strategy for this fight..."

* * *

The next day was very odd. Bit was bouncing all over the base, ecstatic about the coming battle. He woke up at six in the morning, then spent hours going over the Liger. He checked to make sure all the damage from the Organoid was repaired. Then he used more time polishing its armor snow white, then checking its integrated weapon systems. He ended at noon, finishing with buffing the Jager components, saying he wanted his zoid to look its best in which of the two modes he chose to use. 

"The Jager's speed would be very useful," he would keep saying to anyone who would listen, "but it might be interesting to see how I can do with just the Zero unit."

By one o'clock, he was starting to get to the others with his enthusiasm.

Leena, however, was even worse. Instead of being excited, she was acting increasingly surly, barely emerging from her room. Goldy was behaving the same way, snarling at everyone, and refusing to move from one spot in the hangar, keeping a wary eye on the Liger.

"Wish I knew what was with those two," Jamie said to the Doc, scratching his head. "Bit's acting like he's on a sugar high, and Leena's acting like she wants to kill everyone. Why?"

"It must be because of their links with their respective partners," Toros said reasonably. "The Liger Zero is happy to be going into one of its old favorites, while the Organoid is worried about being shown up by something it hates. As a result, those feeling are manifesting themselves in our pilots via their telepathic links, the same way their earlier hatred was."

"I hope this isn't going to be a regular pattern," Jamie moaned. "Those two are going to drive all of nuts if it is."

Privately, the Doc agreed.

* * *

Bit just couldn't sit still that night. He fidgeted all through dinner, talking excitedly about the match the next day. Leena was still being quite. Her earlier anger had been replaced by a sort of resigned sense of annoyance. 

_Stupid Bit_, she thought bitterly. _Why is he so darn perky? He's never even fought in this mode, what if he screws up? He's not worried at all about failing! He is such an-_

"So what kind of zoids are we going up against tomorrow?" Bit asked abruptly.

Leena blinked. _Why didn't I think to ask that?_

He grinned at her, almost like he'd heard her. _This mode is not commonly used. Nervousness is to be expected._

Leena's jaw dropped. He _had _heard her! How?!

Bit however, was now listening to Jamie. He was going on about the Anlashock team's zoids. "They've actually got quite a few zoids," he admitted, "but they tend to prefer a couple specialty numbers. The girl, Satori-" he glanced at Brad. "Was that her name?"

Brad nodded. "Yeah. She uses a modified Lightning Saix."

"Modified how?" Bit asked curiously.

"She added thrusters to the sides, according to the data released," Jamie replied. "That gives her some extra maneuverability."

"Cassius uses an Iron Kong," Brad resumed. "His favorite tactic is to rely on his zoid's sheer endurance to get in close, then rip his opponent's legs off."

Bit and Leena both grimaced.

"And then there's my old friend Marcus," Brad continued, a strange grin on his face, "If you go up against him, you'll be facing one of the few people who still uses this zoid: a Double Sworder."

Bit let off a low whistle. "Those zoids were rare a hundred and thirty years ago. To find one these days..."

Leena sighed in frustration. "Once again, I need an explanation."

"Like Bit said, it's extremely rare," the Doc jumped in, speaking fast. "I've only built models of them. They're around the size of a Guysak, but they're more beetle than scorpion. They have two long, teethed claws around their mouth, which give it great crushing power."

"I've seen Marcus use that thing in battle," Brad warned. "He can pull tricks with that thing like you wouldn't believe. One time, dug under the sand with it, then ripped at the enemy zoid from underneath it."

"So he tends to rely on stealth?" Bit asked.

"Off and on," Brad answered. "He'll go for stealth or force depending on his mood, not his opponent. He's good enough to do damage to Gojulas with it. And that's if he's acting reckless."

Leena looked at Bit. "You want to take him, or should I?"

"Let's wait and see," Bit said, looking pensive. "If we go up against the Lightning Saix, whatever the other one is, I'll need to go with the Jager and fight it. If we're lucky enough to get the Iron Kong and Marcus, you'll probably need to hold off the Double Sworder while I get past Cassius."

"He may not be allowed to fight," Jamie pointed out. "The Double Sworder is one of the few zoids with both land and air capabilities. If it were a devoted air zoid, he couldn't use it. But since it's not, maybe he can use it, just not fly with it."

"Whatever happens, one of you will probably end up protecting flag, while the other goes after the Anlashock's," the Doc said. "Bit's most likely going to be the one stealing the flag, since his zoid is faster."

"Jamie, why don't you fight this match?" Leena said suddenly, almost sounding desperate. "The Raynos has more speed than either of us, and the Schneider could hold anyone back long enough for you to capture the flag."

"Can't do it," Jamie said flatly, shaking his head. "Like I said, airborne zoids aren't allowed to compete in this mode unless both sides are completely made up of flyers."

"What about you, Brad?" she asked, turning to him.

"Not a good idea," he said firmly. "Marcus knows me, and knows my style. I'd be a disadvantage on the field."

"You know his style!"

"He has no style," Brad contradicted. "He improvises, does whatever he wants. I don't think he's ever tried the same tactic twice in all the battles he's ever fought."

Leena sighed and slumped in her seat. "Great."

Bit looked at her strangely. "What's wrong, Leena? You've never shied away from a fight before."

"I'm nervous!" She yelled, standing and waving her arms. "This is new battle mode, against really tough opponents, and a zoid I've never even heard of before! If I lose this, I'm dishonored, and I am going crazy!" Without another word, she turned and stormed out.

Bit scratched his head. "Where did she get that line about dishonor?"

* * *

_Wake up... wake up...._

Bit blinked and sat up, the voice still echoing in his head. "Liger? Was that you?"

_Is it time to fight yet??_

He laughed and flopped back onto his pillow. "Not yet, partner. It's only three in the morning."

_The other is awake. Perhaps it is not so early?_

"Other...? You mean Leena?"

The Liger's voice was a definite yes. _And her... partner._

"Still don't trust 'Goldy', do you?" Bit asked, an edge to his voice. 

_No._

"Me neither."

There was no reply from Liger. For a moment, Bit thought his friend had gone to sleep. Then, he heard, _A truce is in effect now... maybe a permanent alliance should be forged._

"I thought you hated her," Bit said, confused. "Now you suddenly like the Organoid?"

The Liger's answer was just as puzzled. _Only the enemy hated. Self-defense was required, but not eternal, burning rage._

"So then what was that I felt?" Bit demanded. "Why did I feel so hostile for so long?"

_Resentment,_ the Liger replied simply. _One alone was not very strong. But add two together, and the strength grows greatly._

Bit nodded, understanding. "So my own anger at being hunted, added with your own of being attacked, sort of ended up enhancing each other?"

_Yes. As well as the rage over being copied._

Bit laughed. "I almost forgot about that." A sudden thought occurred to him. "Is the Organoid the same way with Leena?"

_No. It hates, all on its own. The girl is a reflection, not an addition._

Bit considered that for a long moment. "Then Leena's current mood has been because Goldy is unsure of herself. She's not used to fighting this way."

_And does not want to be bested in performance by one it hates._

Another long silence followed as pondered what to do. Finally, he asked, "You really want to make peace?"

_In the interest of winning the battle tomorrow... yes._

Bit got out of bed and headed out the door, running a hand through his hair. "Any ideas where to find them?"

The Liger didn't need to respond. A noise, like faint music, began to echo through the base. It seemed to be coming from the hangar. Bit hurried through the halls, intrigued.

When he reached the hangar, he saw something very surprising. The bay doors were open, and the twin moons were full in the night sky. Leena was sitting on the floor next to Goldy. The Organoid itself was standing, its head pointed at the moons, and trilling softly. It was making the sounds Bit had thought were music.

He stood, listening to it as it sang to the sky. It seemed like it was a sad melody, sung to something old as time and long since forgotten by all. Bit didn't know why, but it was almost familiar.

Finally, after five minutes, the Organoid fell silent. It dropped to the floor next to Leena, looking oddly forlorn. 

"That was pretty," Bit said, walking up. Both Leena and Goldy twitched at his voice, then turned to look at him. "Does she do requests?"

Leena looked faintly disdainful. "That wasn't meant for you. It was meant for her ancestors."

Bit raised an eyebrow as he sat down on Leena's side furthest from the Organoid- he could still feel its resentment towards him. "Oh?"

She nodded. "Goldy says it's passed down from generation to generation, and each one adds something to the song. A verse about their own parents, something like that. Then, one day, Goldy's children would add a verse about _her_."

Bit smiled. "That's neat." He glanced at the Liger, parked in the shadow's of the hangar. "Did you use to sing like that?"

The Liger's voice was distant, as if remembering. _Long, long ago. Before anything that exists now existed. Many voices sang together, remembering the past._

But you lost your voice when you took that shell, didn't you?

The sudden change in voices caught Bit off guard for a second, from the Liger's calm, patient voice to a harsher, almost sneering tone. Then, he realized what he'd just heard. "Was that Goldy?"

_It wasn't your traitor of a friend. _As the Organoid spoke, Bit noticed that even though he could hear its voice, he was also hearing its growls, very much like when the Liger spoke in combat.

"Goldy," Leena said warningly. "There's no need to be mean."

_Just speaking the truth,_ she replied haughtily. _You did lose your voice, didn't you? You can't sing anymore._

The Liger's response was in a tone that resembled a parent speaking to a small child. _As an Organoid, yes. But silence is not the only tongue this form grants._ To everyone's surprise, the Liger began a similar trilling to Goldy's song. It was much deeper, naturally, and the tune was different, but it was still just as beautiful and haunting a sound.

Goldy's response was a noise like a grunt, and to put her head on the floor. It looked like she was being petulant.

However, at one particular section of the Liger's song, about a minute in, her head shot up. _That is cannot be in your song!_

The Liger's song halted. _That section is in all songs. It is the mother of all, the Zoid Eve._

Leena looked at Bit. "Zoid Eve?"

Bit shrugged.

_No! _Goldy insisted. _No one else sings that! It is by my family line only!_

_That is not correct,_ the Liger said firmly. _It is sung by all._

"Maybe you're related," Bit joked. He wasn't even half serious- yet Goldy whirled on him, hissing and snarling, her teeth an inch from his nose. Odder still was that her words weren't coming through- all he could hear was the creatures' angry noises. Yet if she was aware of that, she didn't care. She kept at him as if he'd said the most offensive thing imaginable.

Perhaps he had. 

Goldy's voice suddenly became clear again, though it was still enraged. _The suggestion that I could be related to that abomination_ _is unforgivable! I am descended from the highest of the high bloodlines! That- that- **filth** has no relation to me at all!_

All have the same relation, the Liger said, sounding puzzled, and slightly wounded. _All are descended from the Zoid Eve._

Silence, filth, or I will kill you now! Goldy shrieked. Bit noticed that she was creeping towards the Gunsniper.

He decided he'd better act quickly

"Whoa, hold it, you two!" Bit yelled, standing up. "I came down here to make peace, not start a new argument!"

"Nice try!" Leena shot at him. "You ended up causing more problems! Of course," she went on quickly, "what else can we expect? You're inept anywhere except the battlefield!"

Bit was about to reply equally as harshly when the Liger's voice cut through is mind, cooling his anger like water on a fire. _Was this the intention, my friend? To continue the feud, until one or both is dead?_

He let out his breath slowly, calming himself. "No." He looked at Leena. "We came to end this thing, Leena. We're on the same team. I know I forgot it for a while, but we are." He started walking towards the hangar, then looked back. "We're fighting at noon tomorrow, so you two might want to get some sleep." The door sealed behind him.

Leena watched the door for a long minute, then looked at Goldy. The two of them simply stared at each other for a long time, and didn't go to sleep for an even long time later.


	6. The Blitz Team vs. The Anlashock Team

Jamie glanced over his shoulder, seated at the Hover Cargo's controls. "You okay, Bit?"

Bit stifled a yawn. "I'm fine. Just stayed up too late." He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. "Wake me up when we get to the battlefield."

"Bit?"

Reluctantly he opened his eyes. "We're not there already, Leena. Don't play games with me."

Leena shifted and looked uncomfortable. "Bit, can I talk you for a sec? Privately?"

Blinking, he stood up and nodded. "Sure. The hallway?"

"Fine with me," she agreed. When the door was closed behind them, she said nervously, "I'm sorry about last night." 

Bit shrugged. "Forget it. It wasn't entirely your fault. Goldy's influence had you really steamed. That, with your natural temper-"

"Hey!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Bit said quickly. "I just meant that the Organoid's emotions, coupled with your own, had you unusually angry. It was the same way with me and the Liger while we were... less friendly than normal, even for us."

Leena looked at him. "Are you saying Goldy and I are... linked, somehow?"

Bit nodded, looking puzzled. "Telepathically, same as me and Liger. You didn't know?"

She looked floored. "I knew we could understand each other, that it was some kind of mind talking, but I didn't think we were bonded."

"Yep," he said. "You both sense what the other is thinking, and if the emotions are strong enough, feeling. When it's not making you hate someone, it's pretty useful. You'll see in battle." He yawned. "Speaking of which, I'm going to get some sleep before we go into combat." He walked back onto the bridge, leaving Leena with some very confused, and disturbed, thoughts.

She didn't have long to brood, however. In what seemed like no time, the Doc was paging her. ~ Leena! We've reached the battlefield! ~ 

"Okay," she acknowledged, and started for her zoid. Worrying about being mind-linked to metal lizard could wait; right now, she had a battle to win.

* * *

"Are they here yet?" Bit asked, searching the area. He was seated in the Liger Zero, Leena a few meters off in her Gunsniper, out on the battlefield. It was a patch of flat, desert-like ground, ten miles in diameter, surrounded on all sides by high mountains, with only one ground route in or out. From the air, it looked like an over-sized basin. From where Bit was sitting, it looked like an excellent place to fight a 'capture the flag' style match, except for one thing.

~ They definitely not on the battlefield, ~ Jamie replied. ~ In fact, they're not on radar anywhere. ~ 

The Doc looked nervously at Bit on the screen. "Are you sure you don't want to use the Jager, Bit? It'd be safer if they use the Lightning Saix. There's still time before they show up."

Bit shook his head. "I won't need it, Doc. Trust me on this."

Toros sighed. "If you insist. I just hope you know what you're doing."

"I do," Bit replied easily. "Besides, there may not be enough time for me to transform."

"Wonder what's keeping them," Leena mused. "What kind of transporter do they use?"

~ We never used one when I was with Marcus, ~ Brad said. ~ If a team wanted to hire us, they provided transportation. ~ 

~ Heads up, guys! ~ Jamie announced. ~ They just showed up! Whale King coming in at three o'clock! ~ 

Bit and Leena glanced up to see a blue carrier setting down gently outside the battlefield. The hatch opened and two Zoids walked out. Leena groaned as she saw which two. "We just _had_ to get the Double Sworder and the Lightning Saix."

"Something's funny about that Double Sworder," Bit realized. "Take a look."

"Pulling it up now," the Doc replied form the bridge. He tapped a few controls, and the insect-like zoid appeared on the screen. It looked like a standard Double Sworder, with just one exception.

Jamie's jaw dropped. "A _red_ Double Sworder?!" He turned to Brad. "You never mentioned it was a red one!"

"What difference does that make?" Brad said in an offhand manner. "The zoid's color isn't a mark of strength."

"Red ones are choosier than other zoids," Jamie said, sounding a little worried. "That's why we never see them. They only allow the best pilots to use them." 

~ That's a myth, ~ Bit scoffed over the comm. ~ Red zoids are just harder to come by. There's nothing special about them. ~ 

"We'll see about that," Leena said in a devious tone. "Especially if you're going to have to get past him."

There was a long pause as Bit considered. Finally, he responded, "I'm going to worry about the Lightning Saix first, then the Double Sworder. Besides," he added, sounding equally devious, "if the Lightning Saix and I take each other out, it'll be up to _you_ to get past him and steal the flag." He took a moment to enjoy the silence, then looked across the battlefield.

Abruptly, his comm lines blinked as the enemy hailed him. The faces of the opposing team appeared on his screens. ~ This is Marcus and Satori of the Anlashock Team. Are you Bit Cloud? ~ 

He nodded. "That's me."

Marcus grinned. ~ Glad I could finally meet you in battle. Marcus out. ~ Satori's silent face remained a second longer, and Bit almost swore she winked at him. Then she, too vanished.

~ Judge incoming! ~ Jamie announced. 

The Judge crashed down in the middle of the field, kicking up the usual cloud of dust and leaving the standard impact crater. The white capsule slowly rose out of the ground, and the lid opened revealing the white robot inside. It began to speak. {The area within a five mile radius is a designated Zoid battlefield. This zone is now restricted. Only competitors and personnel have authorized entry. Danger! All others must leave the area at once. Area scanned… battlefield setup! The Blitz Team versus the Anlashock team.} At this point, the Judge would typically have announced the battle mode, then begun the fight. However, there was a line no one had ever heard before. {Competitors, please stand by for deployment of electronic markers. Impact projected in t minus ten... nine...eight...}

~ Get ready guys! ~ Jamie yelled. ~ The markers are coming down! Relative positions are eight hundred meters north by north west, or six hundred meters south by south west! ~ 

{Three... two... one...} Two more, smaller, dust clouds flew up as the marker posts hit the ground. {Battle Mode 0933! Ready... FIGHT!} The Judge crossed its arms, and the battle began.

"You go for the closer one, Leena!" Bit yelled. "I'll engage the Lightning Saix right now!" With an exhilarated roar, the Liger sprang forward, activating its boosters instantly. 

Leena allowed a second for breath. "Okay, Goldy, let's go!" 

__

She could feel the Organoid's nervousness in the back of her mind, but also its determination. From the heart of her zoid, she could still hear its voice as well. _Let's show them what an Organoid can really do!_

Leena punched her thrusters, throwing her heavily armed zoid towards the nearest flag as fast as she could go. Unfortunately, she noticed, both the Double Sworder and the Lightning Saix heading in the same direction. The cat-like zoid was pacing itself, holding even with the much slower beetle zoid.

Leena tapped her comm. "Uh, Bit? Both enemies are heading this way, and Organoid or not, I don't think I can hold them off alone."

She could hear Bit's curse over the radio. ~ I thought they were staying close. Okay, I'm closing fast, but they're a lot closer to you. Once you've managed to get the flag to recognize your zoid as its team, pull to a stop and dig in. You'll need to hold them off for about thirty seconds, until I get there. ~ 

"Right." her expression tightening into a feral grin, she put her hand over the thruster kill switch. "Okay, Goldy, it's just us. Here we go!"

_Let them come! We will destroy them!_

Leena took a breath. "This worked for Bit," she murmured. "Let's see if it works for us." Quickly, she shunted power from one thruster completely into the other, throwing the Gunsniper into a 180 turn- putting both the Double Sworder and Lightning Saix cleanly in her sights.

Before she could overcompensate, Leena dug her Gunsniper's claws into the ground, locking her into position. "Now, Goldy! _FIRE!_" 

The Gunsniper's massive arsenal cut loose, sending hails of bullets and missiles into the air. With the two enemy zoids right in line of fire, Leena couldn't miss. The Lightning Saix, at the very least, would be damaged.

At least, that's what she thought. 

An instant before the wave of fire could connect, the Double Sworder leapt in front of the Lightning Saix, taking any hits it might have. A second later, both zoids burst out the cloud of smoke kicked up by Leena's fire, both moving as fast as they had been.

She couldn't believe her eyes. "He took all those hits dead on! Why isn't he out of commission?!"

~ Marcus did a lot of work on the Sworder's body, ~ Brad said, his voice grim over the comm. ~ Its armor can take a serious pounding before taking any kind of damage. ~ 

"Oh, thanks for telling me earlier!" Leena yelled. She opened up again, trying to target the insect's in the hope its joints would be weaker than its main body. 

Unfortunately, it was no use.

Leena gulped as the two zoids drew closer. "Goldy, any ideas?"

~ I've got one! ~ Bit yelled. ~ LOOK OUT! ~ 

There was barely time to register his statement before the white streak of the Liger, its jets still running full force, slammed the Double Sworder broadside with its head, a few meters before it reached the Gunsniper. The beetle zoid was flipped onto its back, stunned. The Liger was also staggered by the crash, and collapsed nearly on top of the Sworder- leaving Leena to deal with a Lightning Saix suddenly moving at full speed, and now, guns blazing.

_LEENA, JUMP!_

Leena responded instinctively to the yell from Goldy, throwing her zoid into the best leap it could manage, given its heavy load of weapons. With the Organoid's assistance, it was easily twice what she could have managed alone. It _was_ enough to clear the Sax's fire. 

Regrettably, it still _wasn't_ enough to clear the Lightning Saix itself. 

The black zoid's head caught on the Gunsniper's legs as it began to descend. That flipped the Gunsniper end over end, and it then crashed on the Saix's back. The Lightning Saix, not designed to support its weight, the weight of another zoid, and several tons of weaponry, collapsed underneath Leena's zoid. 

There was silence on the battlefield as the competitors recovered from their various crashes. In the Liger's cockpit, Bit rubbed his head. "Ouch. That hurt." He began to check his controls. "You okay, Liger?"

_It has too long since something like this happened!_

The Liger's response surprised Bit so much he couldn't speak for a second. It reminded him of someone who'd just gotten off the best roller coaster in the world, and couldn't wait for another turn. "You actually _enjoyed_ that?"

_To no end! Unexpected turns are what make this mode so much fun!_

"You could have just used a Strike laser claw," Bit grumbled.

_That would have been much too easy!_

Bit could only shake his head. "Oooookay. I'd better check on Leena." He switched on his comm, and Leena's face appeared. She looked unconscious. "Hey, are you alright over there?"

Leena didn't respond for a second, then looked up and nodded. It looked like she had her jaw clenched tightly; perhaps she was still trying to quiet her stomach after the flip the Gunsniper had done. She _did_ look a little green in the face to him.

Bit's comms beeped again and Marcus popped up. ~ Are you okay, Cloud? ~ 

Bit was testing his controls a little further. "Seems like it. The Liger can still stand."

~ Glad to hear it, ~ the other pilot said, actually sounding like it. ~ I'd hate for the battle to end on something as foolish as all four zoids suffering command freezes from a simple crash. ~ 

~ Four head-on collisions doesn't seem very simple to me, ~ a new voice said. Satori appeared on a third monitor, holding a hand over her cheek. ~ Are all our units fit to continue? ~ 

"Units are fine," Bit reported, looking concerned. "How about pilots? You okay?"

Satori waved her other hand. ~ I'm fine, I'm fine, it's just a bruise. Banged my head on the stupid console. ~ She straightened in her seat. ~ Ready to continue? ~ 

"I'm ready if you are," Leena said, taking her controls. "Um... do we want to start from where we are now, or get everyone set up?"

~ Let's get set up, ~ Bit replied. ~ It wouldn't be very fair if you were laying on Satori when the battle started. ~ 

"Fair, schmair, I thought the point was to win," Leena grumbled, but she complied, moving the Gunsniper off the Lightning Saix's back.

Bit did his part by helping the Double Sworder back upright. "Okay, everyone ready?"

~ Give us a minute to check our systems, ~ Marcus replied, ~ and we can get back into it. ~ 

Inside the Hovercargo, Jamie looked at the Doc. "That was strange. If we'd been fighting the Stygian sisters, they would've screamed murder about crashing into them like that."

"Most class S teams are a different breed," the Doc said in an offhand tone. "The sisters were just weird. The rest of them are very courteous if something like this happens, but they're also brutal in combat. Give them the chance and they'll tear you to pieces. "

"We may see something like that," Brad said. "They're about to start back up."

On the battlefield, the four zoids had repositioned themselves, with the Liger and Lightning Saix both facing off, and the Gunsniper aiming everything it had at the Double Sworder.

"Okay," Bit said, "on three?"

~ One, ~ Marcus.

~ Two, ~ Satori.

~ THREEEEEEEE! ~ Leena yelled gleefully, opening up all at once. The Double Sworder hunkered down, taking the hits on the strongest parts of it armor.

At the same time, both the Liger and the Saix took off, breaking right. Bit keyed his engines. "Liger ion boosters... _on!_" He was forced back into his seat by the acceleration, tearing ahead of the Saix, checking his radar as he did so. "The flag is twelve hundred meters away. I've got to beat the Lightning Saix there, and then maybe I can get it back to my own flag."

~ Don't count on it! ~ 

Bit looked to his right and saw the Lightning Saix keeping pace easily, not even bothering to switch on its boosters on. Satori's voice came again. ~ You should have gone with the blue version. Now, you're all mine. ~

He grinned. "You just might be surprised, babe." He threw the Liger to the right, slamming into the black zoid's shoulder.

The answering collision was harder than Jack Sisko had ever hit him. The Liger almost lost its footing. Bit stared for a second, then threw his zoid at the Saix again. Once more, the answering impact was harder than any time he'd ever tried this tactic. 

"Jamie!" he yelled. "This zoid is hitting me pretty hard! What's going on?!"

Jamie tapped his keys. "It looks like it's because of the added thrusters. They give her more push, so she can hit you harder than you can hit her."

"Then this isn't going to work," Bit realized. He gritted his teeth. "Liger, we'll need a new plan."

_Working on it now._

At the other end of the battlefield, Leena was having difficulty with the Double Sworder. To start with, she couldn't return to the Hovercargo to rearm, as that would leave their flag unguarded. That meant she was forced to rely on smaller, short bursts of fire which its armor was repelling with ease. "Any ideas, Goldy?"

_His back is less armored, _the Organoid answered quickly. _If we use our thrusters to get around behind him, we can cause more damage._

"Then we risk letting him get to the flag," Leena warned. 

_We'll have to disable him quickly, then, _Goldy insisted.

"And if we miss?"

_I won't miss. Trust me, Leena._

Leena took a deep breath. "Okay, Goldy. We'll try it."

What felt like an excited hiss echoed through Leena's mind. _Ready thrusters._

"Activating thrusters to standby mode," she confirmed.

_Fire in three… two-_

Out of nowhere, the Double Sworder leaped into the air, over the head of the Gunsniper, landing directly behind the Gunsniper. At almost the exact same time, the Judge announced, {Anlashock team has the flag!}

~ Now watch me get out of here with ease, ~ Marcus said with a calm laugh.

~I wouldn't count on it, ~ Leena growled. Marcus uneasily noticed that she had moved her Gunsniper very quickly into position right behind him, one of her gattling guns aimed at his back. Despite his heavy armor, at pointblank range, it wouldn't hold- and Leena knew it. ~ Move and you're out of this game, ~ she snarled, but sounded strangely happy.

Nervously, he keyed his comm. "Uh, Satori? I need some help."

~ Be there in a minute, ~ Satori replied. ~ I'm almost finished. ~ She hit her thrusters, slamming the Liger once more.

The Liger staggered, almost tipping over. Inside, Bit clenched his jaw. "How you doing, partner?!"

Liger's voice sounded a little weary. _The enemy's blow are becoming tiresome._

"Just hang on, buddy," Bit said encouragingly. "Okay, get ready. I'm going to try something next time she tries to ram us."

_Understood._

Satori appeared on Bit's screens again. ~ I'll go easy on you if you ask nice, ~ she said teasingly. 

Bit just grinned. "Bring it on, sis. You're finished."

She shrugged. ~ Have it your way. ~ She moved her zoid a few steps away, then fired her thrusters and charged sideways at the Liger once more.

This time, Bit was ready. Just before she hit, he angled the Liger's shoulder so it was just underneath the Saix's body chassis. The Saix's underside was lifted off the ground by the stockier Liger Zero. Before she even had time to react, Bit threw more power to his jets, ramming into the off-balance Lightning Saix. The impact hurled the black zoid off its feet, sending it crashing to the ground a good distance away. 

"_NOW, _Liger!" Bit yelled. "Everything we've got to the boosters!" 

_Transferring claw energy!_ The Liger shifted its weapon energy to the boosters, giving it just enough speed to get within sixty meters of the flag before the Saix could get up.

{Blitz team has the flag!} The Judge announced. {Attention warriors! One zoid must suffer a command system freeze before either side can win!}

There was a sudden hesitation over the battlefield all of a sudden as the Judge's words hit home. Marcus got a very strong, sinking feeling. ~ Uh oh. That means- ~

"It means _you're _a target now!" Leena crowed. She reached for the weapon trigger. "Now you're going-"

Her words were cut off as the Double Sworder swung completely around, its cockpit now facing Leena's. More importantly was the fact that the beetle zoid had grabbed Leena's gun in one of its mandible claws, and was forcing it away from the zoid's carapace. ~ Hah! Now try and shoot me! ~

Leena gritted her teeth. "Goldy! Send more power to the aiming unit on the right gattling gun! We've got to get it pointed at him!"

_Working now! He's pushing very hard!_

Satori grinned at Bit as she forced her zoid back to its feet. "You'll _really_ regret not using the blue Liger now! You're much too slow to escape me!"

Bit snickered. "Unless I beg for mercy, right?"

She shrugged on his screen. ~ Nah. Just ask nice. ~

"Not in my nature," he laughed. "And I the playing field is more level than you think."

Her expression clouded faintly. ~ Oh? ~

"Yep. Check you zoid's right front leg. I believe you'll be unpleasantly surprised with what you find." 

The expression on her face was priceless. ~ You- you damaged it when you tossed me! I can't go at my full speed any more! ~

"You're restricted to _my_ top speed now," Bit said, more than a little smugly. 

Satori was now looking very, very angry. ~ I can still squash you into the ground! ~ With a loud roar, the Saix raced forward as fast as it could.

"Transfer power back to the claws, Liger! We're gonna need 'em!"

_Done! Weapons armed!_

"_Strike Laser Claw!!!_" 

_I have increased power as much as I can!_ Goldy hissed. _I can't divert anything else!_

"It'll have to be enough!" Leena yelled. She leaned as hard as she could on the weapon controls, trying to force her gattling gun down. Slowly, with a lot of metal groaning, she forced the gun until it was almost on target.

~ You- can't- win! ~ Marcus said, his voice indicating equal strain.

"Bet me!" Leena gasped. "FIRE, NOW!"

Bullets spat forth, grazing the top of the Double Sworder's carapace, sheering inch deep gouges in the metal. 

~ I'm not down yet! ~ Marcus yelled.

~ Yes you are! ~ Bit yelled back. His zoid soared over Leena's, its claws glowing fiercely. He raked over the red zoid, cutting off one of the Double Sworder's mandible blades. The sudden release of pressure on Leena's gun allowed her to swing the weapon down, and blast Marcus' zoid cleanly at less than a meter. He instantly suffered a command freeze.

{The battle is over! The battle is over!} The Judge suddenly announced. {The winner is… the Blitz Team!}

Brad looked at the battlefield for a second, then turned to Jamie. "How did that just happen? I think I blinked."

"It was amazingly fast!" Jamie said excitedly. "From what I saw, Bit first knocked down the Lightning Saix." He motioned to the battlefield. "He ended up doing two strike laser claws inside a minute. The first one crashed Satori's zoid, over there." He motioned to where the black zoid was laying on the field. "Then, he must've given everything he had to the boosters to reach Leena, then jumped over her, and laser clawed the Double Sworder."

"Which let Leena take him out," Brad followed.

"And because Bit captured the Anlashock's flag, and Marcus captured ours, as soon as Marcus went down, we won the match! Bit put himself in just the right place at just the right time," Jamie finished triumphantly.

~ Hey, I can't take all the credit on this one, ~ Bit laughed. ~ I said this mode needed a lot of teamwork, and that just proved it. Nice job, Leena. Couldn't have won without ya. ~

Leena smiled at him. "You, too." She patted her console. "See, Goldy? Ultimate X zoids _do _have uses."

Goldy's answer was resentful, but had grudging admiration. _Maybe. _

Marcus showed up on their screens. ~ Nice work, you two. I've never seen anyone fight quite like that. ~

~ Of course, now we're ranked twenty third, ~ Satori pointed out. She didn't seem too distressed, however. ~ We'll have to challenge you again sometime, Blitz team. Earn our rank back. ~ She looked directly at Bit. ~ We'll have to do a more even match next time. If you can beat me like this, I'd like to see what you can do when the zoids we use have the same capabilities. ~

Bit grinned. "I look forward to it." He started back to the Hovercargo.

Inside the carrier, Brad sent a tightbeam transmission to Marcus. "Thanks, man. We'll pay you back some day."

Marcus smiled. ~ Just challenge us to a normal fight sometime. We might actually have a chance like that. ~

"You've got my word," Brad promised. "See you again." He closed the line.

"Bit and Leena are both aboard," Jamie reported. We can leave any time."

"Let's get going, then," Toros said. He kicked back in his chair. "What a day, huh? Up to rank five already, and we're not even two months into class S!"

"Pretty impressive," Jamie said, looking pleased. His expression changed quickly though, into his usual thoughtful appearance. "I wonder how much was due to the Organoid?"

"You couldn't you tell how much the Organoid helped Leena?" Brad asked.

"Not until I take a closer look at the battle data," Jamie replied. "I'll do it once we get back to the base."

"Speaking of improved combat styles, did you see Bit out there?" the Doc said. He shook his head in impressed amazement. "I thought it was over when he chose the Liger Zero instead of the Jager, but he really proved me wrong. He piloted that thing better than anyone I've ever seen, in any Zoid!"

"Not bad at all," Jamie agreed. "Now, as long as Bit and Leena can keep getting along, and that Organoid stops trying to eat us, we should be just fine."


	7. Deadline and Bit Cloud vs. The Backdraft

"Let's see here," Jamie murmured to himself, taking a sip of his drink. "Analysis of battle data underway... wow, look at that power curve..."

"Jamie, my boy!" Toros boomed, sweeping up behind him. "How's everything going?"

"Fine, Doc," Jamie gasped, "just don't sneak up on me like that. You scared me to death!"

"Sorry about that," the Doc apologized, "but I was just wondering how much money we made off that fight."

"A lot, Doc," Jamie replied. "Now, I'm kind of working here-"

"You know, I just saw an ad in a zoids parts magazine the other day," Toros commented, cutting Jamie off. "It was this enormous cannon, bigger even than the Buster cannon I bought for the Shadowfox. Think we could afford that now?"

"I'm _not_ working on finances right now," Jamie, exasperated. "I'm trying to figure out-"

"You know, I should go take another look through that magazine," Toros mused happily, clearly not listening at all. "Maybe there's something in there I missed." He wandered off, humming.

Jamie sighed in relief. "Good. Now, back the more important issue here..." He picked up from where he had been cut off. Unfortunately, he only had a few minutes before Brad strolled in and started along the same line as the Doc had.

"So, just how rich are we now?" Brad asked, peering over Jamie's shoulder.

Jamie tapped a few more keys, annoyed. "I'm not working on our finances right now, Brad. I'm trying to work out how much the Organoid improved Leena's combat abilities."

"Oh, come on," Brad persisted. "You've got to have _some_ kind of idea how much we earned."

"Fine, fine," Jamie sighed. He pulled up a spreadsheet program. "This is how much we had before the battle." He hit a few more keys. "These are our battle expenses... and _this_ is our prize money."

Brad took a long look, then whistled. "Even with all the costs, that's still more than we've ever earned in one fight."

Jamie nodded, annoyed. "Yes, yes, it's a ton of money. Now will you let me work?" He turned back to the keyboard, bring his battle data back up.

Brad shrugged. "Have fun." Turning away, he almost skipped out of the room.

Bit entered a second later, looking over his shoulder with a very weird look on his face. "Jamie, did you just show Brad how much we made off that fight?"

"Yes," Jamie replied tersely, not bothering to look back.

"I guess that explains that," Bit said with a smirk. He walked over and looked over Jamie's shoulder. "Is this battle data?"

"Yes!" Jamie yelled. "It's battle data I'm trying to analyze, and you people won't leave me alone!"

"Hey, sorry!" Bit said, backing off. "I just wanted to know how much the Organoid helped Leena."

"Then let me do my job!" 

"Okay, okay." Bit started walking out. Then, he paused and turned back. "Just out of curiosity, how much _did _we earn on that fight?"

He barely managed to duck the cup Jamie hurled at his face.

* * *

Leena reached over to pet Goldy, who was laying on the floor of the hangar. Whether it was because of Bit, or she just liked the place, Goldy spent most of her time here. Leena grinned as she stroked the metal of her partner. "We sure beat them down, huh? Showed 'em they can't mess with us."

Goldy's response was somewhat subdued. _Yes. It was a good fight._

Leena didn't seem to notice her friend's lack of interest. "You wait and see. We'll dominate Class S." She gave a sideways look at the Organoid. "Provided, of course, you stop trying to eat him."

_He is a good fighter, _Goldy acknowledged grudgingly. _It would be a waste to get rid of him... at least until he stops winning._

"I think he can live with that," Leena said, smiling. "As long as you leave the Liger alone, too."

Goldy was definitely more reluctant on that term. _No promises. I still don' t like him._

"It's mutual," Bit said, strolling in. "Hey, Leena? Jamie wants to see you."

"Really?" she asked, standing. "Why?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. An hour ago, he's throwing coffee cups at me, and now he's asking me to find you." He motioned to Goldy. "I think it has something to do with her, though."

"Must be that data analysis he was talking about!" Leena realized. "You coming, Goldy?"

_No. That doesn't interest me._

Leena shrugged. "Suit yourself." She started out. Bit followed quickly, not wanting to be left with the Organoid when Leena wasn't around.

Leena found Jamie seated at the same he had been since they got back to the base. "Hey, what's up? You wanted to see me?"

Jamie turned in his seat, his face excited. "Yeah, come here. I just finished going over the battle data." He started a playback of the earlier match. "I went over everything, from your power usage, ammo consumption, mobility, and then ran all that against some data of your best earlier fights."

Leena bent down to look at the screen. "What did you find?"

He motioned to the data. "From what I've seen here, you moved more, and maneuvered better than you ever have in the past. I mean, this jump here, over the Lightning Saix fire? You've never managed anything like that before!"

Leena appeared skeptical. "Are you sure this is all because of Goldy? I _did_ just get those new thrusters installed."

"I checked that," Jamie said with a nod. "I ran your thruster output in this fight against the one from the Hellfire team, when you tried taking on all three of their Ligers. It turns out that your thrust increased at least _sixty five percent _over when you were fighting on your own. That's at least _fifty_ percent over what the maximum rated thrust is for that model engine."

"And Goldy managed to increase it without damaging anything," Leena mused. "She's pretty impressive."

"That's not all," Jamie continued. "She increased your rate of fire."

"She _what_?"

"In a normal battle, you end up firing about _half_ as many rounds per minute," Jamie said. "She increased your gun's firing rate by one hundred percent." He shook his head in amazement. "If we tried channeling enough power into your zoid to try that ourselves, we'd end up melting your circuitry, as well as your gun barrels. I don't know how she does it."

Leena shrugged. "Organoids are legendary for a good reason, I guess. With that type of power, I can see why people still tell stories about them."

"You know, there's something else I was wondering about," Jamie said hesitantly. "I'm a little reluctant to suggest it, but..."

"What? You can go ahead," Leena encouraged.

"What kind of results do you think we'd see if Goldy fused with the Liger?"

Leena shuddered. "Don't even _mention_ that around her. She still hates it. She'd rip your throat out for just suggesting they try fusing."

Jamie gulped. "Thanks for the warning."

Leena took another look at the computer screen. "Anything else I should know?"

"Just one thing," Jamie said, looking very serious. "Hang on to that organoid. She's a legendary creature, and she's a great edge in battle." He rocked back in is chair. "But more over, I think she could be a great friend to you."

Leena gave him a bemused look. "Do I seem like I need a 'legendary creature' before I can have a good friend?"

Jamie stood. "I just think you're incredibly lucky. No one has had this chance in so long it's been forgotten. To actually work with a living, breathing, organoid is beyond belief. Enjoy it while it's here." He headed out of the room, and for the second time in two nights, Leena was left with some very confused thoughts.

***

_It is time._

Bit nodded, disappointed. "Yeah. I thought for certain he'd cave, but I guess not."

_Still planning to contact the ZBC?_

"No question," Bit said firmly. "There's no way I'm letting that con man Horace get away with stealing the designs for my friend." He opened the Liger's cockpit and leaped down. "Besides, if I don't contact them, you _know_ Horace will start selling more Ligers. Do you want to start fighting more versions of yourself?"

_No_, the Liger replied. _One time was enough. _

"Exactly," Bit said, walking out of the hangar. "Now, as long as Harry isn't tying up the lines trying to get Leena, there shouldn't be any problems."

Harry wasn't using the line. However, just as Bit was about to activate the vid-phone, it rang. Startled, he paused a second for before answering. "Yes?"

[Hello, Bit.]

"Horace!" Bit stared for minute, surprised. "You just beat me. I was about to call the ZBC." He folded his arms. "Ready to hand over your materials on the Liger?"

[Not hardly,] Horace scoffed. [I just called to warn you.]

"Warn me? About what?" Bit demanded.

[I _have _managed to find some buyers for my Ligers. They've made me richer than I could have ever dreamed,] Horace gloated.

Now it was Bit's turn to scoff. "Puh-lease. I'm putting a call into the Zoids Battle Commission right now. You won't get your Liger's front paw into the ring."

[My buyers don't care about the ZBC,] the little man replied smugly. [They tend to make their _own_ rules.]

"What are you…" Bit's eyes widened. "You _didn't_!"

[Yes,] Horace gloated. [I've sold my Ligers to the Backdraft group. They were very eager to get their hands on them.]

Bit's jaw clenched as he tried to keep his blind rage from showing. "It'll never work, you know. Those Ligers don't have the power of mine. They aren't Ultimate X zoids. Once Backdraft finds out-"

[Oh, they know,] Horace cut him off. [They just don't care. They've got good enough pilots to compensate for whatever extra strength you _think _your zoid has.]

Bit was silent for what felt like a long time. Not because he couldn't think of a response; he actually had about a hundred things he felt like saying, but not one of them would be helpful. 

Abruptly, Liger's voice flooded through Bit's mind. _Try this_. As Bit listened to his partner's suggestion, a thin smile entered his face. He looked at Horace. "Since you're so cozy with the Backdraft these days, I'm guessing you could give me the home phone number of one their higher-ups."

Horace shrugged, looking puzzled. [Maybe. Why?]

"I have a proposition for them," Bit said easily. "But I'm not telling you anything except that they won't be able to refuse."

[Fine,] Horace said nastily. [I'll tell them you want to talk to somebody. But they'll tell me what's going on anyway. I'm very important now.]

"Yeah. Right." Bit sneered. Before Horace could reply, Bit shut off the comm. He took a deep breath and sat down. "Think they'll go for it, Liger?"

_Hopefully. It's the best chance at destroying the imposters. _

Bit looked at his watch. "How long do you think it'll be before they call us?"

_Thirty minutes, maximum._

Liger's estimate was right. In twenty minutes, the vid-phone beeped. Bit answered and found himself staring into the face of a man he detested. "Alteil. I was wondering if I'd get you."

[Considering the mutual contempt we have for each other,] the gray-haired Backdraft member hissed, [I suggest we end this conversation quickly. That little maggot who sold us those cheap knock-offs said you had a proposal for us?]

Bit nodded, confused. "Yes, but… you don't want them?"

Alteil snorted. [It's just as the con man said you told him. Those are basic, simple Liger units. Versatile, but they lack the potential and strength of your Ultimate X. Truthfully, I find them… substandard. But the Committee of Seven thinks they're just what we need, especially after our defeat at the Royal Cup. And of course they won't listen to _me _anymore.]

"Then you might like this," Bit said with a faint smile. "I don't like you guys having those units any more than you like them. So why don't we prove your theory on how weak they are?"

[Oh? And how do you suggest we do that?]

"The same way we settle anything," Bit said. "A battle. You send any one of the three modes out to coordinates of my choosing. Arm it however you want, and use whatever tricks one zoid can pull off. I'll fight them, one-on-one with the Schneider. I won't even bring my teammates with me."

Alteil looked very skeptical. [You're showing a lot of confidence.]

"I've improved my skills quite a lot," Bit answered. "Are you going to accept or not?"

[What are the stakes? Money?]

"No money," Bit replied. "If I win, your group stops using the Liger copies."

[I doubt that will be a problem,] Alteil answered dryly. [If you win, the Committee will most likely drop the Ligers we bought faster than you can blink. But what happens if we win?]

"You get the genuine article," Bit said calmly. "As well as the only man who can use it."

His eyes widened. [You mean…]

"If you win, I'll join the Backdraft group," Bit confirmed. "Willingly. With the Liger and all its armor components. You won't _need_ copies."

Alteil stammered for a second, then cleared his throat. [I'll talk to the Committee. Where and when will this be?]

"Meet me at the following coordinates, tomorrow at high noon," Bit said. "And tell the Committee if they _don't_ show up, they'll be showing everyone what kind of cowards they really are."

[They'll love that,] Alteil said dryly. [Receiving coordinates… done.] He smiled nastily. [See you tomorrow, Bit Cloud.] The line went dead.

Bit took a huge sigh. "Are you sure about this, Liger? You're taking a big risk."

_Not at all. Defeat is impossible._

"It better be…"

***

The next day found Bit in the Schneider's cockpit, waiting uneasily for the Backdraft to show up. He looked around the battlefield. "Wide open desert on all sides, no rock formations for at least a half a mile. Plenty of room for them to try any dirty little tricks they want." He took a deep breath. "Are you _sure_ this was the best idea? You know they're going to do anything they can to win."

_They cannot win. They do not have the skills to do so._

"We're about to find out," Bit said, straightening in his seat. "Whale King coming in at 12 o'clock high." Seconds later, a streak of fire slammed into the ground, throwing up clouds of dust. "And there's the Dark Judge now."

Alteil appeared on Bit's screen. ~ Are you ready to begin? ~

"Ready," Bit said. "Where's your zoid?"

~ We'll launch him just as soon as the Whale King sets down, ~ Alteil replied. He lowered his voice. ~ Just so you know, the Committee of Seven was very interested in the outcome of this battle, and they also agreed to your terms. They're all watching, so put on a good show. ~

"I'm not here for your amusement," Bit growled. "I'm here to defend my honor. Now, where's my enemy?!"

~ Right here! ~ The jaw of the Whale King opened, and out leaped a black version of the Schneider. 

Bit looked in surprise. "Huh. I figured they would have gone with one of the other two modes."

~ They wanted to, ~ a new voice said. ~ But I wanted this match to be totally even between us. ~

"I know that voice," Bit said slowly. "That's-"

Alteil's face was replaced with that of the young warrior Vega Obscura, the pilot of the dangerously powerful Berserk Fury. He looked the same as the last time Bit had seen him, enthusiastic, energetic, and young. ~ They wanted to use Panzer model, ~ he said, very conversationally, ~ but I insisted on this one. I wanted to see who was actually a better pilot, so we needed the same stuff to do that. ~

"I wasn't expecting you," Bit said, a smile starting on his face, "but I think I'm glad. This should make things much more interesting for me."

~ I've been waiting for a chance to fight you again, ~ Vega said, looking more excited than ever. ~I even studied all your combat moves, one at a time. I wanted to make sure I could _win_. ~

"You might be surprised," Bit grinned. "I've picked up a few new tricks since we fought last."

{Oh, enough yakking!} The Dark Judge scolded. {This battle will now begin! Vega Obscura versus Bit Cloud: battle mode 0999. Ready… FIGHT!}

Bit and Vega reacted instantly, throwing their zoids in opposite directions. Bit raced left, then pulled a 180 degree turn and skidded to a stop. "Okay, Liger, we've got to pull out all the stops. Vega is a serious opponent."

_Not any longer. Not without the Fury's support._

"You're putting a lot of faith in my skills," Bit murmured uncertainly, hands playing over the controls. 

_It is well deserved. Victory is assured._

The Liger's words helped focus Bit's thoughts. "Right. Now, let's do this!" He flipped out the five blades around the head, as if preparing for the Buster Slash. Apparently in response, Vega folded out his side blades only. Bit cursed. "He's expecting us to start with the Seven Blade attack, despite our appearance. That's why he flipped out his side blades, to show us he knows."

_Obviously. The enemy is not completely without skill._

"Think we should start with that and see where it leads us?"

_Not when it is expected. Something else must be attempted. _

Bit nodded. "Yeah, that's kinda what I figured. Think you can pull this off instead?" He quickly rattled off his idea. 

_Easily. _

"Okay. Then let's _go!_" 

Bit's Schneider charged forward, its five head blades energized and glowing. On the other side of the field, Vega did the same, side blades glowing just as brightly with power. When the distance between them was down to half what it had been, Bit threw on his thrusters, giving the Schneider an extra boost. Vega did the same, cutting down the distance even faster.

Bit waited until they were just a few meters away. "Now, Liger! Blades out!" The Schneider folded its side blades forward, switching mid-charge to the Seven Blade attack, and hurled itself into the air, an energy field wrapping itself around the zoid. It streaked forth, a missile of blue energy. Vega wasted no time copying the move, and both Schneiders became streams of power. 

~ This settles it! ~ Vega crowed over the radio. ~ Now we see which is superior! ~

"Not yet," Bit said, enjoying the anticipation. "Liger! Do it _NOW!"_

Inside its cocoon of blue energy, the Liger folded one of its side blades straight to the side, then rotated onto its side in mid-flight. 

Vega saw what that meant and tried to correct for it, but the move had been pulled too suddenly, even for him. Bit's zoid carved a line deep into the black Schneider's armor, then his momentum carried him on to land safely. Vega crashed into the desert sand, his zoid sparking.

Bit turned, breathing hard. "I knew you wouldn't be expecting something like that. You were counting on me to go for the straight Seven Blade attack."

~ Instead, you tricked me, ~ Vega groaned. He forced his zoid back to its feet. ~ By turning your own zoid and extending your blade, you managed to extend your reach and avoid any damage. I'm impressed. ~ Bit could almost hear his expression darken. ~ It's not over yet, though. This zoid is tougher than you thought. ~

"I'll admit that," Bit said grimly. "Any other unit would have had a command system freeze from that." He played his hands over the controls. "Okay, Liger. You have some advice for me?"

_The enemy is getting angry. Expect some kind of illegal move_.

"No kidding. We'll just have to- _WHOA!_" Bit yelped. He forced a fast dodge out of the Schneider, just barely in time to avoid a rush from Vega. The young warrior had somehow gotten his zoid to try a Buster Slash from a complete standstill, several hundred meters away- and Bit missed being hit with it by only a fraction of a second. 

He stared as the black Schneider slid to a halt, its weapons still at ready. "He's not supposed to be able to move that fast. The attack came at us like he was in the Jager!"

~ Nice, huh? ~ Vega said. He sounded cheerful again. ~ We modified the thrusters on this unit a little. Gives me an extra speed boost. I didn't want to use it, but … ~ His casual shrug was clear even without visual. ~ For my best adversary, I'm willing to make an exception. ~

"So much for a level playing field," Bit growled. "This could make things trickier."

~ I'm afraid this battle is officially cancelled, ~ a voice suddenly announced. It wasn't Vega, Alteil, or even the Dark Judge, though. 

Bit frowned. "Liger, where's that signal coming from?"

_The ridge, twelve hundred meters away, five o'clock low._

Bit wheeled around, looking at the ridge. "I need to zoom in… wait a second…" He stared in disbelief. "That looks like a Lightning Saix. What's a Lightning Saix doing here?"

~ Breaking up an unsanctioned battle, ~ the pilot responded. 

It was a woman, Bit could tell that much. Abruptly, it hit him. "_Satori?!_ Is that you?"

~ Yes, it's me, ~ she confirmed. ~ I heard the Backdraft was holding an unsanctioned battle in this region, and I came to investigate. And since this _is_ and unsanctioned match, I hereby order you to cease and desist on the authority of the Zoid Battle Commission. ~

"_Why?_" Bit demanded. "This is none of your concern! It's between me and the Backdraft!"

~ Yeah! ~ Vega chimed in. ~ I've been waiting a long time for this, and I don't want to get interrupted! ~

~ And I'm not prepared to lose this chance to get the true Ultimate X on our side! ~ Alteil roared. The Whale King lifted into the sky, landing right between the Lightning Saix and the two warriors. ~ Finish your battle! She will not present any problem. ~

~ But we will, ~ a cold voice said slowly, one Bit didn't recognize. Bit looked to his left and spotted an Iron Kong about the same distance away as the Lightning Saix. "That must be Cassius," he murmured.

~ And even if you can handle two of us, you can't handle all three, ~ a third voice added. 

This one Bit also recognized. "Marcus! Why is your team interfering with my fight?!"

~ Unsanctioned battles are prohibited, ~ Marcus said, ~ and you _suggested_ this one. What made you think the ZBC would allow it? ~

"How about the fact that they've never done anything to stop the Backdraft before?" Bit demanded. "Not once in all the battles I've ever fought has the ZBC done anything except cower behind their Ultrasaurus' shields! And now, when I'm in a battle I'm actually _willing_ to fight, without any kind of traps, you stick your nose in! _WHY?!_"

~ Forget about them! ~ Vega encouraged. ~ Alteil can keep them away from us. Let's finish our battle! ~

With some effort, Bit turned his attention back to Vega and the black Schneider. "Yeah, let's do it. These guys don't have any say in what I do."

~ I'm warning you, Cloud! ~ Cassius yelled, his cold voice icing over even further. ~ Do this and you risk sanction by the ZBC! ~

"This is for the honor of myself and my friend!" Bit yelled back. "I don't care what you say, I won't back down from this fight!" He shut down all his comm lines except for one to Vega. "We're finishing this now! Come on!"

~ That's what I wanted to hear! ~ Vega cheered. The black Schneider's weapons folded out in Seven Blade attack formation again. 

Bit gritted his teeth and tried to force his mind back to the battle. "All right, Liger! We're going all out on this one! I want to use the Buster Slash, and divert every ounce of spare energy into it, from the boosters to the energy in the sides blades. We're winning this now! The ZBC is _not_ going to cheat us out of this fight!"

__

Agreed. This battle must be ended by us_ and no one else._

"Weapons at ready!" Bit folded out the head blades. "On my signal, we move it!" The Liger's paws dug into the sand, and its five swords began to glow brightly.

Across the field, Vega's weapons also began to hum with power, but his zoid did not move either. 

"Steady, Liger… steady…" Bit watched his monitor. The power levels of his attack began to reach critical points. "On my signal… _ATTACK!_" The Schneider roared, its voice shaking the sun in the sky, and hurled itself at the opposing zoid. Vega wasted no time in throwing his own Schneider into motion, and once more the two zoids raced towards a deadly collision. Energy fields had formed around the two units again, this time brighter and more fierce looking than before. As the two enemies raced at each other, it was clear that this charge would decide the battle.

__

We are at a disadvantage, the Liger suddenly warned. _The other's attack is more powerful._

"I know!" Bit yelled. "He has more power to divert to the blades!"

__

Is there a plan?

"Yes! And this is it!" Bit and Vega were within a second of clashing with each other-

And suddenly Bit forced his zoid down, under the attack from Vega. His own zoid's blades caught the feet of the black Schneider, and cut right through the legs of the enemy. The zoid's momentum flipped Vega over Bit, sending him crashing onto the desert sand, shattering all seven of the Schneider copy's blades.

The Dark Judges end-of-battle horn sounded, but the Judge itself didn't say anything for a long minute. Finally, it reluctantly announced, {Battle over. The winner is Bit Cloud.} The Judge turned away from the battlefield, clearly sulking.

Panting, Bit ignored the Judge checked his systems. "You okay, Liger?"

__

Undamaged. That maneuver was very effective at avoiding the strike.

Bit nodded, then clicked his comm again. "Vega? You alive over there?"

Vega's face appeared for the first time. He shook his head gingerly. ~ Oof… I think so. My unit's a wreck, through. ~ He sighed. ~ I guess I should have known better than to expect a second rate copy to beat a true Ultimate X. ~ 

"They'll be other battles," Bit promised. "Just use a better zoid next time."

~ I'll see what I can find, ~ Vega said dryly. ~ Until next time. ~ He brightened. ~ Unless you're certain you don't want to join us? You, me, the Liger and the Fury would make a great team in battles. ~

"Sorry, kid," Bit said, shaking his head, "but I won't fight for a group that doesn't fight fair."

Vega shrugged, a little disappointed. ~ Oh well. Good match, though. ~

Bit nodded and opened his comm lines back up, hailing the Whale King. "Looks like I won, Alteil. Think the committee will give up the ligers?"

~ They've already done so, ~ Alteil replied. ~ As soon as you defeated Vega, the order was given that all copied ligers are to be scrapped, and all future orders cancelled. ~ He smiled nastily. ~ And I imagine that cheap con artist will have a few things to answer for as well. ~

Bit nodded, satisfied. "Good. Now, I'll be leaving."

~ Not quite, ~ Alteil said slowly. ~ At about the same time the order was given to scrap all the other ligers in our possession, we received other orders. ~ He smiled again, and this time there was a decidedly vicious edge to it. ~ Take the _original_ liger from its owner, by force or by choice. ~

Bit reached back to the combat controls. "You'll never take him from me. I'll self-destruct first."

~ Not if you value _their_ lives, ~ Alteil warned. Bit saw, with great rage and horror, that the Whale King had three huge cannons, each one locked onto a member of the Anlashock team. ~ Surrender the Liger Zero to us, or we'll kill them all. With guns this size trained on them, even if they dodge the shots they'll go down! Not even the Lightning Saix would be able to escape! ~

Bit glanced at the three zoids, uncertain. Marcus hailed him. ~ He's right, Bit. Those cannons are new models, designed to emit a huge shockwave when the shell is fired, like a sawed-off shotgun. It'll flatten anything within a hundred feet of the actual bullet. We can't dodge at this range. ~

~ This wasn't part of the deal! ~ Vega yelled from his destroyed zoid. ~ You never said anything about threatening Bit! I wanted him to join us willingly! ~

"Forget it, Vega," Bit said furiously, "They won't ever play fair. If they can't win, they cheat."

~ They aren't the only ones! ~ 

Bit followed the radio signal's trail, peering back into the hills. Over one of them suddenly appeared a very familiar blue-topped carrier. 

He gaped. "The Hovercargo? What's it doing out here?"

~ We knew they weren't going to hold up their end of the bargain, ~ Satori replied smugly, ~ so we told your friends what was going on and asked for help. ~ 

~ You still have no choice but to surrender! They'll never get here fast enough! ~ Alteil yelled. 

~ They won't, but _I_ will, ~ Jamie said. His Raynos buzzed the Whale King, easily running at mach two, weapons spitting fire. But the real hit came a microsecond later, when the sonic boom slammed the carrier from the side. The Whale King tilted heavily to the right, and the three Anlashock team members took the chance to get out of the line of fire.

They were almost too late. Alteil fired the weapons on the massive carrier, and Bit got a first-hand look at what these new cannons could do. The sand the guns fired at impacted in a bowl shape, as if they had been slammed with a dozen judge capsules at once.

~ Watch those weapons, everyone! ~ the Doc yelled. ~ Try to strike from a safe distance! ~

~ Easier said than done! ~ Brad yelled back. The Shadowfox's gun spat its own fire at the black carrier, tracing a line of holes along its port side.

"Doc! Did you bring the other armor components?!" Bit yelled.

~ They're ready and standing by! ~ Toros confirmed. ~ Planning on using the one I think? ~

"Yeah," Bit said. "Keep them occupied for a few more seconds, guys! I'll be back in a minute!"

~ We're working on it! ~ Leena yelled. She checked the cockpit display. "Goldy, help me target their weakest spots!"

__

Scanning… ready. The most damaging points to hit them are along the engines. A direct hit there should disable most of their power and force them to retreat.

"Everybody! Lock on to the following sight!" Leena ordered. She quickly transmitted the coordinates Goldy had given her, then activated her own guns. "_Weasel Unit Total Assault!!!_" The Gunsniper opened up with all its fury, blasting the Whale King as hard as it could. The Raynos buzzed it again, another sonic boom striking hard. The Anlashock team and Brad added whatever fire they could from their own weapons. The air was thick with missiles and energy fire.

The carrier certainly felt it. Its engines flickered, and the craft slipped towards the ground for several seconds before pulling up. 

Leena cursed. "They won't let us hit them like that again."

~ Then I'll do it my way! ~ Bit yelled. ~ Everyone, get clear! ~

The others all looked at the Hovercargo and saw its side panel opening as fast as it could. As far as Leena knew, that only meant one thing. "Get clear! The Panzer's about to open fire!"

Her warning came three seconds before Bit cut loose with the green armored zoid's single most powerful attack, the Hybrid cannon. The fusion of energy and missile fire slammed the Whale King as hard as the first entire barrage had, sending plumes of smoke and debris streaking out from the tail. 

~ Enough! ~ Alteil roared. ~ That's enough! Another strike like that and you'll destroy our engine core! ~

~ Should we care about that? ~ Cassius asked, his tone giving new meaning to the term subzero. 

~ I would, ~ the Doc said. ~ A Whale King's reactor exploding would be more than enough to destroy it, us, and every living thing within ten miles. ~

~ Exactly why I suggest you let us retrieve Vega and go, ~ Alteil hissed. 

"Fine," Bit accepted. "But another trick and I'll fire with everything I've got, whether your engine core is unstable or not."

~ Noted, ~ Alteil said icily, ~ but I prefer to continue living. There's no need for any more threats like that. ~

He turned out to be true enough to his word, for once. The damaged carrier retrieved its pilot and limped away, leaving the shattered remains of the black Schneider on the ground. 

Bit let out a sigh of relief as the Backdraft's unit drifted out of sight. "What a relief that's over."

~ Not totally, ~ the Doc said, appearing on Bit's monitor. ~ You have a lot of explaining to do. ~

"Okay," Bit agreed, "but I want to ask _them_ a few questions too." He motioned to the Anlashock team.

~ Fine with me, ~ Marcus said easily. ~ We can explain everything once we've reached your base. And I think by the time it's all over, we'll have a proposal for you, Bit. ~


	8. Explanations and the start of a new adve...

A few hours later found all members of the Blitz and Anlashock teams seated in the living room of the Toros base, everyone slightly cramped. Bit had just finished telling everyone about his learning of Horace's theft of Liger's plans, his attempts to sell them legitimately, and when Bit halted that, his sale of ligers to the Backdraft. Bit had then went on to explain his challenge to the Backdraft, and the devil's bargain he had risked. 

"Okay," Bit finished. "I just explained everything you wanted to know. Now, _I_ have a few questions."

"I think I can guess your first one," Marcus said evenly. "Why we butted into your fight?"

"Nailed it," Bit nodded. "So, why?"

"Confidential," Cassius said bluntly. "We're not allowed to talk about it."

"We're going to anyway," Satori said firmly. "If we don't he'd just contact the ZBC directly, and you _know_ they'd tell him."

"Pays to have friends in high places," Bit said smugly.

Marcus sighed. "The truth is complicated, but its starts with the fact that we're much more than a simple zoid team. We're a special division of the ZBC, formed a little while before the Backdraft started acting up, about the time the ZBC caught wind of the Elephander project. We were set up a months before it was completed, and we were _supposed_ to be the team they first used it against. Unfortunately, we hadn't finished training when they used it against you."

"You're a ZBC agent?" Brad asked, raising his eyebrows. "You never mentioned this when we fought together."

"I hadn't been recruited then," Marcus said with a shrug. "They contacted me at almost the same time we were being hired by the Blitz Team. They offered me a good position, and high pay, but they wouldn't extend the offer to you, _and_ I couldn't tell you about it. So, I left."

"Is that why you're in Class S?" Jamie asked.

"We're allowed to move from rank to rank," Cassius confirmed. "In each of the different levels are different aliases that we operate under. Zoids, team names, carriers, they're all given to us."

"And you do this… why?" Leena asked.

"To keep an eye on Backdraft's activities," Satori replied. "We try to anticipate their next targeted team, and also if they're planning to try and recruit anyone into their organization."

Bit snorted. "You guys never showed up when the Backdraft kept hounding us."

"That was at my insistence," Marcus said apologetically. "In the beginning, we simply didn't know they were going to attack you. But after you defeated the Fuma Team, I knew you'd be able to handle yourselves. They _were_ the Backdraft's toughest team."

"So you just left us to deal with them ourselves?" Jamie said incredulously.

"You were strong enough," Cassius said bluntly. "Besides, as long as they were occupied with you, it gave us more time to guess who they might try to recruit."

"That's the second time you've mentioned that," Brad mentioned. "What do you mean?"

"The Backdraft has a tendency to hire warriors that were good, but didn't really fit in to the ZBC's standards for warriors," Satori explained. "Fighters who loved the battles, but either chafed under the rules, or simply took their victories… too far."

"The Backdraft would find these fighters, most of them in the lower ranks, and offer to bring them aboard," Cassius said. "We're not certain, but we believe they intended to recruit the Hellfire team. That's why they placed us in Class S."

"One of our people inside their organization reported your battle with them was supposed to be the deciding factor," Marcus said. "If they'd beaten you, they most likely would be in the Backdraft now. But you won, so the Stygian Sisters missed a chance they never knew they had."

"That explains some my questions," Bit interrupted, "but not all. You say we proved early on we could handle the Backdraft. If that's so, why did you stick your nose into a battle I _suggested?_ And how did you even find out about it?"

"We monitor the Backdraft's communications," Satori answered. "We heard your call to them, so naturally we heard your challenge. As for why we interfered…" she trailed off, then shrugged. "You took too great a risk. _He_," she shot a dirty look at Cassius, "felt it was too great a risk to allow you to fight them on the terms you dictated. Cassius isn't willing to let you go to the enemy's side, given that your zoid is an Ultimate X. Your unit is the only thing short of an Ultrasaurus that could stand up the Backdraft's Berserk Fury."

"I guess I'm lucky you haven't tried to confiscate it," Bit grumbled.

"It's been discussed," Cassius said coldly.

"By one man _only_," Satori said, glaring at her partner. "Of the three of us, Cassius is the only one specially trained by the ZBC. That tends to make him a little more…"

"Cruel?" Leena suggested.

"Heartless?" Bit prompted.

"Straightforward," Marcus finished. "No one else in the ZBC's ranks even thought of taking the Liger, Bit. But they _did_ agree that we should try and break up your fight with them. The thought of the Backdraft having two Ultimate X zoids, as well as the world's best pilots made them… uneasy."

Leena choked on nothing. "Did you say _Bit_ is considered the world's best pilot?!"

"One of them," Satori corrected, "the other being Vega Obscura."

Bit looked very flattered. Leena glared at him and muttered, "Don't let it go to your head, wise guy."

"That answer all your questions?" Cassius asked, his tone clearly indicating it had _better_ be all his questions.

"Should be, yeah," Bit said easily. 

"Which brings us to one final piece of business," Marcus said, suddenly sounding very formal. "Bit, as I said, your piloting skills are considered the world's finest. With that in mind, we've been authorized by the ZBC to offer you a position with my team."

There was a very, very long silence. Finally, Bit managed to croak out, "What?"

"You heard me," Marcus said, clearly enjoying everyone's reaction. "We'd like you to work as anti-Backdraft agent."

Bit was silent for a long time. Then, he stood up. "Thanks…"

__

This is it, the Doc thought morosely. _We're finally going to lose him, and the Liger, they can pay him more than I ever could, and-_

"-but no thanks," Bit finished. "That sounds way too serious for my taste. Besides, I just got into Class S. Maybe the rank doesn't mean much to you, since you can go anywhere you want, but I want to push myself here."

Marcus sighed, nodded in acceptance. "I suppose I should have expected as much. Still, I had to try." He stood and offered his hand. "If you ever change your mind, feel free to contact us. We'd always love to have you."

"Not a chance!" the Doc said, sounding very happy. "Bit's a lifetime member of the Blitz team! I wouldn't let him go!" He jumped up and put Bit into a choke hold, giving him a noogie at the same time. Bit gagged, trying to get out.

"No need to strangle him," Marcus laughed. "We won't steal him."

The Doc let go of Bit, who gasped for air. "I know. They just expect me to do something like that," Toros motioned at the others.

"We'll be going now," Cassius said, rising. "The Battle Commission will be wanting our report soon." He walked out. Marcus gave an informal salute and followed. Satori gave Bit a discreet smile, then trailed after them.

Jamie sighed as they walked out. He looked at Bit. "You had us worried for a second there. Were you considering their offer?"

"No way," Bit said easily. "Why would I want to work for a group like that? It can't be as good as it sounds. They probably fight a few battles, then spend the rest of their time doing paper work. Where's the fun in that?" He grinned. "Whether you like it or not, I'm here to stay!"

* * *

A few hours later, Bit was pacing the base, looking for Leena. He came across the Doc first, however. "Hey, Doc? Have you seen Leena around?"

"Last I saw, she was in her room," the Doc replied. "Why?"

"I wanted to talk to her Organoid, but it's not in the hangar," Bit said, confused. "I thought she might know where she is."

Toros shrugged. "The last place I saw Leena was her room."

"Thanks, Doc." Bit walked quickly down the hall. A minute later, he knocked on Leena's door. "Leena? You in there?"

"Yeah," came the muffled answer. "What's up?"

"Have you seen Goldy? I wanted to talk to her."

Leena opened the door, looking like she'd been napping. "I didn't see her since the battle. I thought she was in the hangar."

"No," Bit said, confused. "I was just in there." He scratched his head. "Odd."

"Would the Liger know where she-" Leena broke off. A sudden trilling had begun to echo through the base. "Never mind. I think I know where Goldy went." She hurried off through the halls, Bit trailing closely. 

A minute later, they were on the roof, a few meters away from Goldy. She had gone to the highest point on the base, and was singing her haunting melody to the night. In the quiet of the desert, the sound echoed for miles, and it seemed even the stars were listening. Five minutes after Goldy's melody had started, she slowly trailed off. Neither Bit nor Leena spoke; neither wanted to fill the silence left by the end of the song. 

Goldy ended up speaking for them. _What is it you want, boy?_

Bit cleared his throat. "I, uh, was just looking for you." He cleared his throat and took a breath. "I wanted to say thanks for the help this afternoon. I don't think I could have gotten out of there if you hadn't helped Leena slow down the Whale King."

__

It was nothing, Goldy replied. She sounded strangely depressed. _Now, please leave. I don't feel like your company, pilot of the Liger Zero._

Bit nodded, and started off the roof. As he passed Leena, he murmured, "That was actually friendly for her." 

Leena couldn't help but agree. As Bit left, she looked at her friend. "Is everything alright, Goldy?"

The Organoid didn't respond at first. When she did, it wasn't to answer Leena's question, and it was in a weary tone. _Tell me, Leena… do you know when the next fight will be?_

Leena shrugged. "It's been tentatively set for two weeks, against the number one team, the Ultima team. I thought it was a little sudden, but Dad says-"

__

Two weeks, Goldy mused, as if not hearing the rest. _Two weeks and once more, we plunge into combat._ She turned and stared at Leena. _Why? Why do you constantly fight like this?_

Leena blinked. "Like what?"

__

There is no purpose to your battles. There is not a war to fight, no borders to defend. If not for the endless battles you willingly engage in, your world would be at peace. Why do you keep fighting?

"I… don't really know," Leena admitted. "It's just something I've always done. I guess it's for the thrill, and the money. Truthfully, I don't know what else to do. Fighting is in my blood."

__

I want no more part of it, Goldy said wearily. _I don't want to fight anymore battles._

"B-but you just got here!" Leena stammered. "You've only been in a couple fights! You'll get used to it!"

__

I don't want_ to get used to it,_ Goldy hissed. _I wasn't raised a fighter. I miss my home, my family. Leena, where I come from, on a night like this, you could hear every organoid within a hundred miles singing their family song! _She looked out to the silent desert, and seemed to sigh. _One song is so very lonely. I want to go home._

Leena gave a sigh of her own. "All right, Goldy, if it's what you really want. I guess I can talk dad into taking the Hovercargo out to the ruins you first met Bit in."

__

That would be fine, Goldy purred. _Thank you, Leena. I am sorry I cannot repay you for your hospitality. _Her head picked up. _Perhaps I could introduce you to my family?_

"That'd be great!" Leena enthused. "I'd love to meet them! I'm sure we all would! We never even knew there were any Organoids left! And to see hundreds, like you say…!"

__

They… may not like Bit, Goldy admitted. _They have the same feelings towards creatures like the Liger Zero as I do… or did. I am not sure which._

"Just so long as they don't kill us," Leena said, "I'm sure even Bit would be willing to come along." She sighed. "When do you want to leave?"

_As soon as possible_, Goldy said. _I miss my family to no end._

Leena nodded. "I'll talk with dad. We should be able to go tomorrow and be back in plenty of time for the next fight." She climbed off the roof and headed back into the base.

Goldy looked up at the sky. _I am going home…_

* * *

The Hovercargo rolled steadily across the plains, heading unceasingly for the ruins Bit and Goldy had first crossed swords. It wasn't rolling fast enough for some aboard it, however.

"We could be moving a lot faster if we hadn't brought all four zoids, _and _the Liger armor, _and_ the extra ammo," Leena griped. "It's not like we're expecting any combat. Why did we bring it all?"

"Last time I was out here, I ended up fighting for my life," Bit said testily. "I'm not about to take the chance and let history repeat itself."

"Wimp," Leena muttered. Seated beside her, Goldy growled a quiet agreement.

"It's not much further," Jamie reassured Leena. "Another fifteen, twenty minutes, and we'll be there."

The Doc cracked his knuckles and giggled gleefully. "I can't believe it! Hundreds of Organoids! I never imagined there were so many!" He looked at Goldy. "Why do you hide yourselves? Why not just live among others?"

Goldy snorted and looked at Leena. _Why does he ask questions when he won't even hear the answer?_

Leena shrugged. "He's so caught up in the idea of seeing more of your kind, I doubt he remembered he can't understand you."

__

Humans, so strange, Goldy mused. 

"We've reached the outer ruins," Jamie reported. "It's a few more miles to the tomb Bit picked you up, though."

"You mean what's left of it," Bit corrected. "The Liger trashed it pretty good last time we were here."

__

There should be enough left, Goldy said. _The damage was mostly to the surface._

Bit frowned. "Surface of what?"

"We're here!" Jamie suddenly announced. He put a smashed tomb up on the screen. "These are the most recent blast marks, and there's what looks like the remains of a Command Wolf over there. This looks like your first battle ground."

Goldy rose to her feet. _Let me out here. This is far enough. _

Leena started to get up. "I'll go with you."

__

No, Goldy said sharply. _It will not be safe. Wait here, and I will take care of the rest. _She quickly hurried off the bridge.

Brad gave Leena a puzzled expression. "What was that all about?"

"She says it wouldn't be safe to go out," Leena said, also confused. "Why is that?"

"Maybe her family doesn't like humans," Bit suggested.   
"Or maybe they just won't like you," Jamie said. "You're the only Ultimate X pilot here."

"Goldy didn't like you guys too much either," Bit reminded him. 

"She's outside," the Doc announced eagerly. "Standing right in the center of the tomb wreckage."

Goldy looked up at the Hovercargo bridge. _Hold on, Leena. This will be a little rocky. _She began to make a low, trilling sound, vaguely like her song.

Bit and Leena were the only ones who understood her, but the others could tell she had said something strange by their expressions. "What?" Brad asked. "What is it?"

Jamie looked at his console. "Doc, I'm starting to get some really weird readings."

"I see them too," Toros said, his face creasing. "Energy buildup underneath the tombs?"

"Yeah," Jamie said, "but I've never seen anything like this." Under their seats, the Hovercargo began to rock slowly.

"Goldy?" Leena asked nervously. "What's going on?" The Hovercargo began to rock more violently.

__

We're going to see my family.

"Going?! Going_ where?!_" Bit yelled. Goldy's trilling had changed pitch, and now the Hovercargo was shaking like it was in an earthquake.

"Doc! Energy readings off the scale out there!" Jamie yelled. "Something else is happening, too!"

A brilliant white light began to stream up from the ground, engulfing the tomb, Goldy, and the Hovercargo. It shot up in a circle around them, stretching up endlessly to the sky. Nothing beyond its edge was visible.

"Goldy! Stop!" Leena yelled.

__

Too late now. We'll die if I do.

"The Hovercargo is lifting off the ground!" Jamie yelled, fear racing through his voice. 

"What's going on?!" Brad roared.

No one answered him. The Hovercargo suddenly shot off the ground, into the air, and vanished.

* * *

Bit woke up, his head pounding. "Uhhh.. everyone all right?"

Around the rest of the bridge, he could hear the others starting to wake up. The Doc pushed himself up, looking at his consoles. "Nothing looks damaged from here. Jamie?"

Jamie rubbed his forehead, looking at his screens. "I think we're all right. Whatever happened, it doesn't seem to have damaged anything."

"And what exactly did happen?" Brad demanded. "The last thing I remember is a white light and the ground shaking."

"I'll check our location," Jamie said, hands playing over the controls. "I'm not sure what happened, but we've moved, that's for sure. I'm not getting any readings from the ruins now."

Goldy bounded into the bridge, looking no worse for the wear. _We are home! I have brought you to meet my people!_

"That's great, Goldy," Leena said, "but where are we?"

The organoid seemed confused. _We are at my home. I transported us there._

"Transported? What does that mean?"

"Doc," Jamie said, his voice suddenly shaking. "Can you check something for me?"

"Sure, what is it?" Toros asked.

"Check my sensor readings. I need you to confirm something."

Toros frowned and activated his scanners. Seconds later, his face drained to sleet gray. "Th-this can't be right…"

"I think it is, if you found it too," Jamie said uneasily. He looked at Leena. "Do me a favor, will you? Translate Goldy's answer to this question."

Leena nodded, baffled. 

Jamie looked very hard at the organoid. "Goldy… where are you from?"

Goldy growled an answer, also confused. Brad saw Leena and Bit both go pale at the same time, but still had no idea what was going on. "What?" He demanded. "What is wrong?"

Leena gulped. "S-she says home is… is…"

"Is?" Brad prompted.

"Five stars away from _our _home."

Brad frowned. "Five stars? What does that mean?"

"What it sounds like," the Doc said dully. "We're not on Zi anymore." He motioned out the window. "We're on _another planet._"

They looked outside the Hovercargo, as if trying to see proof what Goldy said was true. They found it quickly.

Hanging above them in the sky were not two, but _six_ small moons… in broad daylight.

Goldy had taken them to her home… and doing so, had taken them far, far from theirs.


	9. Author's note and Farewell

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Author's Note: Thanks for taking the time to read my story. Don't worry, those of you screaming, you can stop, I plan on writing a sequel. I appreciate your feedback and support. On a side note, you may have noticed I used a few names from other sources. I'm not ripping them off, it's just a trick to see how many people notice. Thanks again, and I hope you'll be back for story #2!


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